Blue Ridge Parkway Cultural Resource Projects

The Blue Ridge Parkway and the Southeast Field Office co-sponsored this important study in order to have background data and guidance for preservation.

This Historic Structure Report provides a detailed present day description of the Moses H. Cone Manor House, augmented with photographs and the 1987 HABS drawings by Eric Cook Swanson. Documentation of the existing conditions was accomplished during site visits made by members of the study team between November of 1994 and June of 1995. Interior and exterior paint samples provide information about paint colors and alterations to the building. The Historic Structure Report also identifies specific maintenance and preservation issues. The history of the building's design, construction and subsequent alterations and use is based on a review of archival materials and a thorough examination of the building's fabric.

This Historic Structure Report documents several major research findings:

1. The career of Orlo Epps, previously identified as the architect of the Manor House in Phil Noblitt's thesis, is thoroughly examined. The Historic Structure Report contains copies of Epps' floor plans and two elevations of the house.
2. A period of significance for the Manor House, from 1899 to 1947, has been established. This period begins with the start of construction in 1899, and ends in 1947 with the death of Bertha Cone.
3. The importance of Bertha Cone's role in the historical development of the Manor House has been stated in the Historic Structure Report. For 39 years, form the time of Moses Cone's death in 1908 until her own death in 1947, Bertha Cone steadfastly preserved and managed the estate along the lines laid out by her husband.
4. The Manor House has been identified as architecturally significant as an example of the Beaux Arts approach to design.
5. A historical context was developed which not only defines the Moses H. Cone Estate as part of the country place movement of the Gilded Age, but further identifies it as a type of country place known as a "manor."
6. The wealth of archival materials detailing the construction and maintenance of the Manor House during its period of significance, 1899 to 1947, makes this an extremely well-documented building.

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We want to announce a cooperative project between WASO and the Parkway. The project involves staff of the Historic American Engineering Record Division (HAER) and is financed by $140,000 of Federal Highway Administration money. With us now is Richard Quin, Project Leader, who will be conducting research and laying organizational background for the larger WASO HAER teams coming in the summer of 1997.

Parkway staff will assist the WASO HAER teams in selecting significant sites and features important to the design and construction of the Parkway. These sites and features will be recorded in approximately 200 large format archival photographs and 40-50 full-size drawings. In addition, WASO staff with Parkway review, will develop a detailed history of Parkway design and construction as well as a 20-30 page pamphlet for public distribution including narrative, photos and drawings. A Memorandum is now being issued which will encourage Parkway staff to extend a helping hand to the WASO HAER staff who will need assistance from time to time.

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At the time of construction, the views beyond the narrow boundary of the Parkway were either idyllic rural farmsteads or views into forests. Today, those "views to the horizon" are changing. Virginia and North Carolina are now top retirement destinations. This distinction has brought a flurry of residential construction. In addition, restrictions to logging old growth timber in the Northwest has added pressure to cutting stands of timber in the Southeast. So what can we do?

All is not lost. Staff of the Blue Ridge Parkway are working with county planners and individual land owners to help preserve these views along the Parkway. The first step to saving these views is to locate them and define their boundaries. This might seem like a monumental task, but the Parkway is receiving help from two researchers at North Carolina State University.

They have created a formula that defines what you see from not only the famous overlooks of the Parkway, but also what you see as you drive the Parkway. This mapping is the cornerstone to working with concerned groups about preserving these views. Currently, the Parkway has been mapped in the Roanoke area from milepost 103 to milepost 147 and in the Asheville area from milepost 365 milepost 405. The Parkway hopes to have the entire corridor mapped soon.

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