North Carolina Association of Realtors; James Grady Architect, PLLC; Design Concepts; Lysaght & Associates, PA; The Wooten Company; Progressive Contracting Company, Inc.

The c. 1870 Heck-Andrews House stands as one of the finest examples of French Second Empire in North Carolina and serves as a reminder of the residential development along Blount Street in the years after the Civil War. Constructed by Jonathan McGee Heck, the three-story house features a dramatic center tower and complex massing, ornate Italianate brackets and elaborate woodwork, with a concave mansard roof.

The house – individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places and located within the Blount Street Historic District – was owned by three families until its purchase by the State of North Carolina in 1987. It fell into a state of disrepair with the occasional exterior facelift but, prior to its purchase by the North Carolina Association of Realtors in 2016, the building interior was severely deteriorated. An analysis of historic paints conducted by the State in 1996 was used to repaint the structure based on its 1902 appearance, but the interior still needed a complete restoration.

As many of the plaster walls were crumbling and severely deteriorated, the work began with structural stabilization and cleaning throughout. In order to provide new support areas for the main block of the house, subsequent work restored the deteriorated existing interiors at the west end addition. The front entrance hall area and first floor rooms were carefully restored as first floor event spaces; and the second and third floors were converted into offices. New support spaces at the west end of the house include egress stairs, elevator, lounge, staff toilets, kitchenette areas, and lobbies. All historic plaster, including decorative plaster cornices, Corinthian column capitals, and ceiling rosettes were preserved and/or restored. The original 1902 historic finish colors were continued throughout the project interiors, with decorative graining restoring the mahogany doors and pocket doors. From the stained-glass windows to the mantels and surrounds, historic photographs and research were used to restore the historic interior.

The exterior work at the historic house included slate re-roofing, the addition of a protective roof coating to the upper standing seam roof, complete repairs of the dormer wood trim, siding, and flashing, and window glazing repairs and painting. A new addition that closely follows the footprint of the former carriage house was attached to the rear of the house providing support spaces for the first-floor events, including bathrooms, a catering kitchen, a small, detached storage building, and an ADA ramp for access to the house.

The Project also included an energy-efficient water-source heat pump, vertical-well, and a ground-loop geothermal system for heating and cooling the building, greatly reducing operating costs, and eliminating all exterior HVAC equipment. New evergreen shrubs screen the new parking area. Recessed down-lights illuminate the grand porches; and historic reproduction, pole mounted light fixtures provide site lighting, showcasing this gem of Raleigh’s architectural heritage.

The Board of Directors of Capital Area Preservation, Inc. is pleased to present a 2022 Anthemion Award to the North Carolina Association of Realtors; James Grady Architect, PLLC; Design Concepts; Lysaght & Associates, PA; The Wooten Company; Progressive Contracting Company, Inc. for the Commercial Rehabilitation and Adaptive Reuse of the Heck-Andrews House, 309 North Blount Street, Raleigh.