<strong>The</strong> <strong>Development</strong> <strong>of</strong> Modern Architecture <strong>in</strong> <strong>Raleigh</strong> <strong>1945</strong>-<strong>1965</strong> 22<strong>The</strong> post-World War II s<strong>in</strong>gle-family house <strong>in</strong> <strong>Raleigh</strong> has significance because itrepresents the <strong>in</strong>fluence <strong>of</strong> nationally popular house types <strong>in</strong> the city. <strong>The</strong> thousands <strong>of</strong>Ranches, Split-Levels, and other house types are <strong>in</strong>dicative <strong>of</strong> <strong>Raleigh</strong>’s connection withthe suburban residential trend that characterized the United States <strong>in</strong> the mid-twentiethcentury. <strong>The</strong>se houses reflect <strong>Raleigh</strong>’s substantial postwar growth. Because the vastmajority <strong>of</strong> the s<strong>in</strong>gle family houses are archetypal or Colonial Ranches, theserepresentative dwell<strong>in</strong>gs do not appear to have <strong>in</strong>dividual significance as examples <strong>of</strong>their type. <strong>The</strong> statistically much rarer contemporary houses stand out for theirprogressive architectural character, are <strong>of</strong>ten the work <strong>of</strong> architects, and are <strong>of</strong>tenendangered because <strong>of</strong> the high value <strong>of</strong> the land on which they are sited. Some <strong>of</strong> thef<strong>in</strong>est contemporary residences <strong>in</strong> <strong>Raleigh</strong>, such as the Gregory Poole House onLakeview Drive, have been torn down <strong>in</strong> recent years to make way for monster-sized newhomes. Contemporary houses that are over fifty years old may be eligible under CriterionC for their dist<strong>in</strong>ctive architectural designs.<strong>The</strong> issue <strong>of</strong> eligibility <strong>of</strong> the less than fifty-year-old houses must be addressed.Contemporary residential design evolved <strong>in</strong> <strong>Raleigh</strong> on a cont<strong>in</strong>uum, and late 1950s andearly 1960s houses differ little from earlier examples except for their size, which tendedto <strong>in</strong>crease. Some <strong>of</strong> the more recent houses have exceptional architectural significanceas rare surviv<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>in</strong>tact examples <strong>of</strong> the most sophisticated residential designs <strong>in</strong> <strong>Raleigh</strong>.Some <strong>of</strong> the houses have potential eligibility under Criterion B as the residences <strong>of</strong><strong>in</strong>dividuals significant <strong>in</strong> <strong>Raleigh</strong> history, e.g. the residence <strong>of</strong> developer Willie York.Registration RequirementsGiven their rarity and significance <strong>in</strong> <strong>Raleigh</strong>’s postwar architecture, Contemporaryhouses that reta<strong>in</strong> a high level <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>tegrity <strong>of</strong> materials, workmanship, and design will be<strong>in</strong>dividually eligible for list<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the National Register under Criterion C. Not onlyexterior <strong>in</strong>tegrity, but <strong>in</strong>terior <strong>in</strong>tegrity must be high as well. This is especially true <strong>of</strong>houses that are less than fifty years old. M<strong>in</strong>or alterations and small additions that do notdetract from the public’s view may not affect the house’s <strong>in</strong>tegrity. Particularly importantfeatures are the orig<strong>in</strong>al ro<strong>of</strong> shape, orig<strong>in</strong>al wall materials or <strong>in</strong>-k<strong>in</strong>d replacement,orig<strong>in</strong>al w<strong>in</strong>dows or a similar replacement, and the retention <strong>of</strong> appendages such asporches and carports. <strong>The</strong> most frequent type <strong>of</strong> alteration is the enclosure <strong>of</strong> side or rearscreen porches as sunrooms and the enclosure <strong>of</strong> carports as garages. If the orig<strong>in</strong>al form<strong>of</strong> these spaces rema<strong>in</strong>s, the enclosure <strong>of</strong> the space will not ru<strong>in</strong> the dwell<strong>in</strong>g’s <strong>in</strong>tegrity.Front additions will always impact negatively upon <strong>in</strong>tegrity. <strong>The</strong> recent remodel<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong>the Parker House, 2106 Banbury Road, 1952, illustrates the <strong>of</strong>ten difficult issue <strong>of</strong> loss <strong>of</strong><strong>in</strong>tegrity. <strong>The</strong> side carport <strong>of</strong> the contemporary residence has been enclosed as liv<strong>in</strong>gspace; the façade has been covered with wood sh<strong>in</strong>gles, and the w<strong>in</strong>dows have beenreplaced. W<strong>in</strong>dow replacement, if handled sensitively, does not necessarily destroy ahouse’s <strong>in</strong>tegrity. However the façade has lost both its rhythm <strong>of</strong> open and closed spacesand its orig<strong>in</strong>al wall texture, thereby dramatically alter<strong>in</strong>g its character.
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Development</strong> <strong>of</strong> Modern Architecture <strong>in</strong> <strong>Raleigh</strong> <strong>1945</strong>-<strong>1965</strong> 23Archetypal and Colonial Ranches, Split-Levels, Split-Foyers and other popular housetypes are so ubiquitous that they are not eligible <strong>in</strong>dividually for their architecture, butonly as part <strong>of</strong> a collective entity, as <strong>in</strong> a subdivision.S<strong>in</strong>gle-Family Residences Placed on the Study List for the National Register:J. W. York House. 1904 Craig St. Leif Valand, 1946C. A. and Marion Aretakis House. 309 Transylvania Ave. Matsumoto, 1954Paul and Elsie Stahl House. 3017 Granville Dr. Milton Small, 1955T. Floyd Drew House. 511 Transylvania Ave. 1954Vallas House. 5008 Leadm<strong>in</strong>e Rd. F. Carter Williams, 1955Paul & Ellen Welles House. 3227 Birnamwood Rd. Kenneth Scott, 1955Paul and Sadie Tillery House. 2200 White Oak Rd. Arthur McKimmon, 1957F. Carter Williams House. 6612 Rest Haven Rd. F. Carter Williams, 1959Arndt House. 1428 Canterbury Rd. F. Carter Williams, 1959W. C. & Jean Harris House. 2815 Lakeview Dr. John Holloway, 1960Pope House. 2520 Glenwood Ave. Arthur McKimmon, 1961Ed Richards House. 2116 Banbury Rd. Leif Valand, attributed, 1961Bill Weber House. 606 Transylvania Ave. Bill Weber, 1962William S. Ward House. 401 Ramblewood Dr. 1964Multi-Family Dwell<strong>in</strong>gsDescriptionApartment Complexes: Superblock hous<strong>in</strong>g complexes, first developed <strong>in</strong> the 1930s,emphasize the ma<strong>in</strong>tenance <strong>of</strong> common park-like pedestrian areas <strong>in</strong>stead <strong>of</strong> theprovision <strong>of</strong> park<strong>in</strong>g close to the build<strong>in</strong>gs. Superblock apartment complexes <strong>of</strong> two andthree-story build<strong>in</strong>gs that faced <strong>in</strong>ward toward courtyards were built along HillsboroughStreet and Peace Street <strong>in</strong> the late 1930s. Four postwar examples <strong>of</strong> these, all composed<strong>of</strong> one or two-story attached units <strong>of</strong> two to six per build<strong>in</strong>g and built between 1949 and1954, were recorded <strong>in</strong> the survey: Country Club Homes; New Court (Whitaker ParkApartments); Cameron Village Apartments; and Cottages on Grant. All have similar siteplans that are more oriented to the street and automobile park<strong>in</strong>g than were the prewarcompexes. <strong>The</strong> south half <strong>of</strong> Country Club Homes was constructed <strong>in</strong> the late 1930s; thenorth half <strong>in</strong> the early 1950s by Ed Richards. Both phases are red brick Colonial-styleone-story build<strong>in</strong>gs. <strong>The</strong> Cameron Village Garden Apartments, designed by Leif Valandand built <strong>in</strong> 1948, are frame and red brick Colonial-style apartments and townhousesgrouped <strong>in</strong>to courtyards along St. Mary’s, Smallwood, Nichols and Sutton streets. In1956 Valand designed the two-story brick Contemporary-style apartment build<strong>in</strong>gs alongDaniels Street <strong>in</strong> Cameron Village. In 1950 Willie York developed New Court, asuperblock apartment complex north <strong>of</strong> Whitaker Mill Road adjacent to his Hi Mountsubdivision. <strong>The</strong> one-story build<strong>in</strong>gs conta<strong>in</strong> from two to five M<strong>in</strong>imal Traditional styleunits. Leif Valand is believed to have designed these as well. <strong>The</strong> Cottages on Grant arealso M<strong>in</strong>imal Traditional <strong>in</strong> style, but all <strong>of</strong> the build<strong>in</strong>gs are basically identical, unlikethe other complexes which have varied facades.