For the Exterior Commercial Rehabilitation of the James Jones House, 324 South Academy Street, Cary
The James Jones House, built circa 1890, is one of the most historically and architecturally significant structures remaining in the Town of Cary. The building occupies a prominent corner at the end of Academy Street across from the Cary Arts Center (former Cary Academy, Cary High School, and Cary Elementary School). The house is a contributing structure in the Cary National Register Historic District.
The cottage was built by James Jones, an associate of Cary founder Frank Page and a prominent landowner and merchant in his own right. The house was owned for many years by W.D. Jones and his wife Maggie and was inherited by 25 Jones heirs in 1958. It remained in the Jones family for another 20 years. In 1982, Randolph and Virginia Foy purchased the home. The property remained in their ownership until purchased by the Town of Cary in 2011.
While owned by the Jones family, the building served as residence for several principals of the Cary School. Another resident was Solomon S. Pool, who had been president of UNC when it closed in 1870 in the aftermath of the Civil War. In the latter part of the 20th century, the building served various commercial enterprises, including a tea room, construction office, and day spa. The Jones House was vacant for a number of years prior to its purchase by the town.
The house features many original Queen Anne features, such as the picturesque roofline, wrap-around porch with sawn and turned ornamentation, scalloped trim and small multi-paned windows in the gables, and a cutaway bay window. Prior to its renovation by the town, the building had been altered with a glass enclosure of the front porch and the addition of aluminum siding.
The Town of Cary has painstakingly restored the exterior of the building. The glass enclosure has been removed and the aluminum siding taken off. The only exterior modifications have been restricted to the rear of the structure and are necessary for its new public use. As part of the Town’s effort to revitalize the town center, the building will now serve as a farm-to-table restaurant and coffee house.
The Board of Directors of Capital Area Preservation, Inc. is pleased to present a 2014 Anthemion Award to the Town of Cary; Tise-Kiester Architects, PA; Focus Design Builders; Jones & Cnossen Engineering, PLLC for the Exterior Commercial Rehabilitation of the James Jones House, 324 South Academy Street, Cary.