The Development of Modernism in Raleigh 1945-1965 - Triangle ...

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The Development of Modern Architecture in Raleigh 1945-1965 30twentieth century. Some subdivisions have significance for their architectural ensembles.Unlike prewar historic districts, where a high percentage of over-fifty-year-old buildingswith integrity qualify the district for the National Register under Criterion C, postwarsubdivisions must meet a higher architectural standard. The thousands and thousands ofrepresentative Ranches and Split-Levels that make up most Raleigh subdivisions do nothave particular architectural significance. Furthermore, most custom subdivisions do nothave the architectural harmony that creates a significant ensemble. Tract subdivisionssuch as Hi Mount, Capitol Heights, Cameron Village, Fairway Acres, Lyon Park, andRidgewood are significant architectural ensembles of late 1940s and 1950s Cape Cod,Minimal Traditional, Ranch or Split-Level houses that represent the best-preservedcollections of postwar housing in Raleigh. Although Cameron Village is actually a largemixed-use subdivision containing retail blocks and apartment buildings in addition tosingle-family housing, only the latter retain architectural integrity. Hi Mount and CapitolHeights are basically intact and represent the best-preserved postwar Minimal Traditionalspeculative subdivisions in Raleigh. Postwar Georgetown is not distinct from the prewarsection of the subdivision; Carolina Pines has a number of altered houses; and WaylandHeights was built over a longer length of time and is not as homogenous as Hi Mount andCapitol Heights. Subdivisions such as Forty Acres are significant for their preponderanceof well-preserved Contemporary houses. Certain custom subdivisions, such as Budleighand Country Club Hills, contain a number of individually significant Modernist houses,but are not eligible as subdivisions because such dwellings are widely scattered amongrepresentative houses with no special significance.Subdivisions that are less than fifty years old in their entireity must have exceptionalsignificance to be eligible. This significance may either reside in high qualitycontemporary design (Criterion C) or in community planning and development or ethnichistory (Criterion A). The small custom subdivision of Lambshire Downs is less thanfifty years old, but its Contemporary houses have exceptional significance because of thequality and rarity of their design. Contemporary design was even rarer in Raleigh in the1960s than in the 1950s. Rochester Heights, Battery Heights, and Madonna Acres, all lessthan fifty years old, have architectural significance as intact Ranch and Contemporaryhouse subdivisions and exceptional significance under Criterion A as the first postwarsuburban enclaves for African Americans in Raleigh.Registration RequirementsSubdivisions must be significant under Criterion A in the area of communitydevelopment and planning and under Criterion C for architecture. They may besignificant under Criterion A in the area of ethnic heritage. They must retain overallintegrity of setting, feeling, association, design, and materials to be eligible as districts.All subdivisions have at least a modest level of alterations, including replacement wallmaterials, minor additions such as garage wings, and replacement windows. However ifthe original architectural character is clearly evident, then the district is potentiallyeligible. It is assumed that the majority of houses within the district boundaries will beover fifty years old and that a minority will date from the late 1950s and early 1960s andhave similar character. District boundaries should be carefully drawn to include only the
The Development of Modern Architecture in Raleigh 1945-1965 31original core of the subdivision and to exclude less than fifty year old expansions of thesubdivision and blocks where large additions and/or tear-downs are occurring.Subdivisions placed on the Study List for the National Register:Hi MountCapitol HeightsLongview GardensCameron Village HousesRidgewoodFairway AcresLyon ParkForty AcresBattery HeightsRochester HeightsMadonna AcresLambshire DownsProperty Type 3: Commercial BuildingsDescriptionCommercial buildings separate into categories of retail, office, restaurant, and motel.Very few postwar commercial resources have survived in the Central Business Districtdue to development pressures. Although a number of shopping centers were built inRaleigh during the era, these have either been substantially altered or destroyed. The firstModernist shopping center was the retail section of Cameron Village, six superblockslocated along Clark Avenue and Oberlin Road in West Raleigh. The original late 1940sand early 1950s one and two-story plain brick buildings with covered metal walkways,with adjacent Modernist-style office buildings, have been remodeled several times andhave lost their original character.Retail and Office: Small clusters of attached office and retail buildings that represent acontinuation of pre-World War II urban models survive at the Fairview Roadneighborhood shopping center at Five Points, in the blocks of Glenwood, Boylan, St.Mary’s and other streets west of the CBD known as Glenwood South, and alongHillsborough Street. These one- and two-story brick buildings are generally of standardcommercial style with little architectural ornament. Although freestanding, aretail/apartment building constructed in 1952 at 105-107 Oberlin Road continues theprewar model, with three retail spaces at street level and four apartments in the upperfloor. Its Modernist style with angled storefronts and matching angled balconies withbrise-soleil roofs at the apartment level is notable. The One Hour Martinizing plant at1700 Glenwood Avenue, built in 1965, illustrates a freestanding retail building located ona traffic thoroughfare that attracts attention through its bold design. The InternationalStyle building features a cantilevered glazed upper level where the dry cleaning
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