Powell Property Holdings, LLC; Maurer Architecture; Jones & Cnossen Engineering, PLLC; Coaly Design; Ross Linden Engineers, PC; Kilian Engineering, Inc.

The c. 1905 Queen Anne-style Upchurch-Williams House was built by Golden Almon Upchurch, Jr. and later, occupied by the Williams family for more than a century after his daughter’s marriage to Elder Cary Williams, 1916. In 2015, with the house in danger of being lost, it was relocated from its original site 400 yards north across the road to a 5.5-acre lot in Apex, historically part of the original 123-acre tract by Capital Area Preservation, Inc. (CAP).

Following the move but prior to offering the house for sale with an historic preservation easement and rehabilitation agreement, CAP rebuilt the foundation using original and salvaged bricks; removed the kitchen to reconstruct and restore the wrap-around porch with tongue and groove flooring and original/recycled columns; removed the center hallway bathroom; restored and supplemented, where needed, the heart pine floors and beadboard walls and ceilings throughout the first and second floors; and replaced missing windows in the attic gables with African mahogany reproductions. The house was designated as an Apex Historic Landmark in 2018.

In January 2020, Powell Property Holdings, LLC purchased the property with the intention of creating an event venue.  Owners Cara and Brad Powell, teamed up with Maurer Architecture, Jones & Cnossen Engineering, and Coaly Design to complete the restoration of the existing building including all new plumbing and electric, connections to water and sewer, HVAC, the addition of all modern amenities, as well as extensive landscaping.  The first floor of the house is used for event planning and small gatherings, while the second floor has a groom and bridal suite as well as an office for the ownership team.

The team also added a 4,000 square foot indoor event building, known as “The Conservatory,” tucked into the rear of the site, strategically located to not take away from the prominence of the historic house and to minimize the visual impact of the new building from the street. Between the house and the Conservatory, an expansive open space is dubbed the “Magnolia Lawn.” Thanks to the owners and to the team, the site offers a brilliant blending of the old and the new and an unforgettable backdrop for events large and small.

The Board of Directors of Capital Area Preservation, Inc. is pleased to present a 2022 Anthemion Award to Powell Property Holdings, LLC; Maurer Architecture; Jones & Cnossen Engineering, PLLC; Coaly Design; Ross Linden Engineers, PC; Kilian Engineering, Inc. for the Commercial Rehabilitation and Adaptive Reuse of the Upchurch-Williams House, 7213 Roberts Road, Apex.