This Large Elegant Home in NC was Demolished in 2022

Walter McCanless House, Salisbury North Carolina

Date added: March 13, 2024 Categories:

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The 1929 Walter McCanless House is Rowan County's finest Italian Renaissance Revival house. Built on a large property in the Club Development subdivision of Salisbury, it was one of the first homes constructed adjacent to the golf course of the Country Club of Salisbury in the late 1920's. During this time construction of new housing was at an all-time high for Salisbury, and new neighborhoods were springing up in several suburbs. Walter Franklin McCanless was the son of Napoleon Bonaparte McCanless, a well-known local builder and developer. Walter McCanless earned his own reputation as a builder and also a textile mill developer, both locally as well as in Davidson, N.C., and Georgia. The Walter McCanless House was designed by Wilson, North Carolina architects Benton and Benton. Among its ornate features are a full front terrace, flanking pavilions with stone Venetian details, and ceramic tile ornament. On the interior, parquet flooring, coffered plaster ceilings, ornate wooden door casings, inlaid ceramic tile floors, and an iron staircase create on opulent atmosphere.

Walter Franklin McCanless built the Walter McCanless House between 1927 and 1929 for himself and his wife, Mary Zita McCanless (formerly Roueche), (1887-1970). The cost of construction was reported to be $250,000.00. Walter McCanless was a well-known builder and developer by this time, taking after his father, Napoleon Bonaparte McCanless.

Napoleon Bonaparte McCanless (1851-1923) was born in Gold Hill, North Carolina in 1851. After the Civil War, he was employed as a clerk in the Salisbury firm of McCubbins, Foster, and Company. During the 1870s and 1880s, he worked in the New York firm of McCanless and Burrell (headed by his brother William L. McCanless) and later in Wichita, Kansas in the construction section of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad. He later returned to Gold Hill and eventually settled in Salisbury to pursue his interests in commercial development and commercial and residential construction. He became the director of Vance Cotton Mill, organizer of Kesler Manufacturing Company, director of Salisbury Savings Bank, president of First National Bank of Salisbury, and president of Harris Granite Company. Napoleon left his mark on the downtown Salisbury built-environment as well where he erected the Washington Building (a monumental three-story retail and office building) with Lee Overman, D. R. Julian, and C.L. Welch, and became an investor in the Empire Hotel. Both of these properties remain standing today and dominate downtown Salisbury's streetscape.

Napoleon's son Walter Franklin McCanless (1887-1958) was employed for a brief period during the Woodrow Wilson administration with the Internal Revenue Service. But he enjoyed great success as a local entrepreneur in the granite quarrying and textile businesses where his father had achieved much success. The two men worked together in the construction of the Yadkin Finishing Company, a Rowan County textile mill, in 1916. The next year Walter began developing projects of his own in Rowan County, establishing a damask mill in the former Littman Rope Factory and later organizing the Klumac Mill with Charles Kluttz. He would eventually operate five textile mills in Rowan County - the Klumac, the Circle M, the Rancho, the Victory, and the Maple. In addition to these, he operated a textile mill in Davidson, N.C. and one in Georgia. Walter McCanless also had a love and reputation for fairs and horse racing, often conducting races at his Circle M Property.

On October 10^th, 1927, Walter McCanless and his wife Mary Zita McCanless purchased three residential lots from E.H. Harrison and wife Mary K. Harrison for the construction of their new home. These lots are identified as 1, 3, and 4 in Block B as part of the Club Development Company's site plan developed in 1925 in conjunction with the new "County Club" of Salisbury. This property is located at the intersection of Confederate Avenue and Henderson Street, backing up to the edge of the golf course's second fairway. The 1925 map titled, "Club Development Company" indicates that lots one and four are from the John S. Henderson Estate. The current north, south, and west boundaries of the Walter McCanless House property are identical to the 1927 boundaries; the eastern boundary was changed in 1947 when a sliver of land was sold to the adjacent property owner, Enoch Goodman. The McCanless family occupied the home in 1929. In 1939 Walter McCanless, by now divorced, sold the home to B.V. Hedrick who occupied the home until his death. In 1969 the Hedrick family donated the Walter McCanless House to Catawba College, a private four-year college in Salisbury, through the Johnson Foundation. Catawba College used the residence for student housing until 1974 when it was sold to Arthur J. and Linda Ray Donaldson. Her son and his wife, Seamus and Traci Donaldson, purchased the property in June of 2004.

It is believed that Walter McCanless hired the architectural firm of Benton and Benton of Wilson, North Carolina to serve as architect. This partnership of Charles C. Benton and Frank Warthall Benton operated from 1915 to 1935. Most of their works were in the public and commercial sectors in North Carolina. Notable buildings include the Montgomery County Courthouse in Troy, Fire Station No. 1 in Rocky Mount, the Bank of Farmville in Farmville, and the Selma Graded School in Selma.

The need to develop such large quantities of housing stock in the early twentieth century was a result of Salisbury becoming a successful manufacturing and commercial center in the 1880s and 1890s. From 1839 to 1857 a steam-powered cotton factory operated in Salisbury, but it found it couldn't compete with water-powered mills in New England. Later in the nineteenth century, Salisbury saw the growth of the tobacco and distilling industries, as well as the effect of the railroad providing jobs and a means of transporting local products to new markets. The local Spencer Shops had several expansions and became the largest repair and maintenance facility in the Southern Railway system. From 1880 to 1900 the city's population grew from 2,723 to 6,277. This influx of new residents required the construction of additional housing stock and the resultant development of residential suburbs. 1920 to 1930 saw the greatest period of growth to date, and by 1929 fifty manufacturing firms had settled in and around Salisbury. The Club Development Company's residential endeavor provided an exclusive neighborhood setting for Salisbury's affluent residents.

Built on property subdivided in 1925 as the Club Development, the Walter McCanless House was one of the first homes constructed adjacent to the Country Club of Salisbury's golf course in the late 1920s. The subdivision provided an upscale location for the relatively new country club and its members. In May of 1920, papers of incorporation were filed for the Country Club of Salisbury, with over 100 Salisburians purchasing stock. The corporation first purchased a property located off the Western Railroad near Old Statesville Road and nine holes were laid out. The existing house on the property was remodeled as a clubhouse, with a swimming pool and tennis courts added in 1921. In March of 1924 the Club Development Company was incorporated to acquire land, subdivide it into parcels, and selling it off as residential lots. In August of 1925, the corporation purchased approximately 200 acres of land to be used for restricted residential development built around the new golf course and clubhouse. Donald Ross, one of golf's leading architects at that time, designed a nine-hole course. The Country Club of Salisbury proceeded to purchase five tracts of land from the Club Development Company to develop a new clubhouse, which was constructed by local contractor John D. Brown of Salisbury for $30,000.

The homeowners who purchased homesites from the Club Development Company and its developers represented some of Salisbury's most successful business leaders. The Salisbury City Directory of 1938 lists the following residents along Confederate Avenue: Walter F. McCanless, President of Klumac Cotton Mills, Inc.; Joseph P. Mattox, owner of Mattox Insurance Agency, Mattox Realty Company, and Tarheel Oil Company, Inc.; Graydon Patterson I, agent of The Texas Company; Julian Robertson, Vice-President and Manager of North Carolina Finishing Company; William H. Smith, Assistant Treasurer for the Carolina Rubber Hose Company; Fred J. Stanback, Owner (with Thomas M. Stanback) of Stanback Company; and Hilbert C. Trexler, President of Trexler Brothers and Yost, a men's clothier. Their homes remain standing today and continue to exude a sense of affluence along Confederate Avenue.

Architectural historian Davyd Foard Hood states, "the Walter McCanless House is a two-story Renaissance Revival brick mansion whose grandeur is unrivaled in Rowan County." Two examples of comparable properties located beyond Rowan County are the Lineberger House in Belmont, constructed in 1919 - 1921 in the Renaissance Revival style, and the B.S. Womble House in Winston-Salem's Reynolda Park, built in 1927 incorporating Italian Renaissance elements. C. C. Hook of Charlotte designed the Lineberger House; Charles Barton Keen of Philadelphia designed the Womble House. These mansions represent the wealth and taste of North Carolina's industrial aristocracy in the Roaring Twenties. All three properties are examples of two-story stately Renaissance Revival villas, prominently located on large suburban tracts. Common design elements are single-story side porches and porte-cocheres flanking the two-story main block, hipped roofs, pairs of French doors surmounted by fanlights, and balustraded terraces extending across the front elevation.

The less than half-acre property at 630 S. Main St. was purchased by Gastonia-based Royal Homes Construction and Development Company in 2008. The home itself had been vacant for almost a decade, during which it fell into disrepair.

Hesam NekooAsl, president of Royal Homes Construction and Development, said the company decided to demolish the building because it would have been too costly to repair. He also said he was worried about the home being a potential safety hazard and drawing code enforcement violations.

In an attempt to preserve the home, the Historic Salisbury Foundation asked Royal Homes Construction and Development about purchasing the property. NekooAsl said the potential offer was not enough to sway his decision. The Historic Salisbury Foundation, however, salvaged a few items from the home. Salisbury Post Thursday, February 24^th, 2022

Building Description

Located in what is commonly referred to as the Confederate Avenue area of Salisbury, the Walter McCanless House is a stately, two-story Renaissance Revival residence situated on a spacious lot at 200 Confederate Avenue. This masonry residence constructed of buff brick contains regularly spaced windows and boasts a hipped roof finished in green-glazed terra cotta tiles. The exterior is highlighted with stone accents including a water table, stringcourse, quoins, pilasters and entablature at the front entrance, and a balustrade along the front terrace. Both the exterior and interior display lovely ceramic tile work. The interior of the house is basically unaltered since construction in 1928, and has retained its original fireplace surrounds, woodwork, moldings and light fixtures. The property is a combination of three lots shown on the plat map for the Club Development subdivision in 1925. Situated on a slight rise, the residence is located on the north side of Confederate Avenue and sets far back on the lot, the large expanse of lawn and the circular drive lend the Walter McCanless House a well-deserved sense of grandeur. The garage located to the northeast of the primary residence replicates the home's architectural detailing. The garage's second floor originally provided living quarters for servants. Directly behind the main residence and in line with the center axis is a large in-ground swimming pool. While in deteriorated condition, many of the original ceramic tiles are still in place.

The Walter McCanless House is situated on a 1.75-acre lot and visually serves as the gateway to homes surrounding the golf course of the Country Club of Salisbury. Located at 200 Confederate Avenue, it was constructed in 1927 - 1929 by Walter F. McCanless and is said to have been designed by Benton and Benton of Wilson, North Carolina. The home is set back a considerable distance from Confederate Avenue and is approached by a semi-circular asphalt drive that measures .5 miles in total length. The grounds to the sides and rear of the main residence are filled with towering trees that include oaks, magnolias, dogwoods, cedars, pines, beeches, and crepe myrtles.

The primary residence is comprised of a two-story main block running east/west with flanking single-story pavilions at the ends. Two symmetrical two-story ells project to the north (rear) giving the home a U-shaped plan. The buff brick is laid in running bond with raked joints. The masonry foundation is punctuated on all sides by light wells, allowing daylight to flow through steel-cased casement windows. The hipped roof is finished in beautiful S-shaped glazed Ludowici roof tiles with original copper gutters. All exterior elevations contain a decorative frieze comprised of bands of stucco decorated with ceramic tile, brick dentils, and brick laid in a sawtooth pattern. Four chimneys set to the interior of the plan support the many fireplaces within.

The south (front) elevation is a two-story seven-bay main block framed by stone quoins with flanking single-story one-bay pavilions at the east and west ends. A deep terrace protected by a stone balustrade stretches across the entire front elevation. The terrace is accessed by a wide set of stone steps leading from the front walk to the center of the terrace. The terrace floor is finished in squares of terracotta tiles with random inlays of ceramic tile representing signs of the zodiac. The centered entrance contains a pair of wood paneled doors with a single light rectangular transom above, framed by stone pilasters supporting a stone entablature with an iron balcony above. To the right and the left of the entrance are trios of paired French doors with fanlight transoms above set into arched masonry openings supported by semicircular arched masonry lintels decorated with stone keystones. A stone string course running along the sill line of the second-story windows visually separates the first and second story. The second-story windows are regularly spaced eight-over-eight true divided-light wood double-hung units with wood shutters and decorative stone flower boxes supported by scrolled brackets. The eastern pavilion is open and supported by stone Tuscan columns. The west pavilion is enclosed and contains a similar pair of French doors with a fanlight transom above, flanked by pairs of multi-pane hinged wood windows with wood panels below, framed by stone pilasters and entablature. The pavilion rooftops serve as porches off the front bedrooms on the east and west ends of the second story. Both pavilions are accented with a horizontal band of marble located above the center arch. Beyond the west pavilion is the porte-cochere, also constructed of buff brick with stone Tuscan columns. The masonry parapets of the pavilions and porte-cochere terminate in stone copings.

The window patterns and spacing are less formal on the side elevations. The east (side) elevation is dominated by the projecting open pavilion. Stone quoins frame the corners of the main structure, with stone repeated in the water table and stringcourse. Under the protection of the pavilion, the pairs of French doors with fanlight transoms are repeated. Beyond the pavilion on the first story are pairs of two-over-two double-hung wood windows set into rectangular masonry openings. Above are six-over-six double-hung wood windows toward the front, with multi-pane wood-hinged windows surrounding the rear sleeping porch.

The west (side) elevation repeats much of the detailing of the east and north elevations, including stone quoins, water table, stringcourse, and window boxes. First-floor windows are casement in style, and second-story windows are again six-over-six wood double-hung units.

The north (rear) elevation contains features typical to the Walter McCanless House, including stone quoins at all corners of the two-story main body, stone water table and stringer course, and a variety of windows including casements and six-over-six double hung units. A single-story mudroom projects off the eastern ell, here the buff brick and green Ludowici tiles on a hipped roof are repeated. Arched dormers (two on the main block and one on each ell) look over what was a rear exterior patio. This patio, formed by the space created between the two projecting ells, has been enclosed to create a single-story room with a glass rear wall with sliding glass doors.

Upon entering the Walter McCanless House one is struck by the high degree of ornamentation, and amazing retention of original architectural fabric. As shown on the first-floor plan, the first-floor interior is three rooms in width; the entry hall is flanked by the dining room to the east and the living room (originally the music room) to the west. To the rear of the dining room are the butler's pantry, pantry, and kitchen, and beyond the living room are the library and a small bedroom with a bathroom that was originally the study. The conservatory (solarium) is at the far west end of the first floor beyond the living room. The main interior stair to the second floor rises along the rear wall of the entrance hall, and is visible through three arched openings cased in carved wood moldings. The stained handrail is supported by decorative wrought iron balusters. A separate servant's stair travels from the basement to the attic. The second floor contains sleeping quarters and bathrooms. Paneled walnut interior doors remain throughout the first and second levels. Except for one mantel in a second-story bedroom, all original mantels are intact including four carved Carrara marble mantels. Green porcelain water fountains still remain in the basement as well as the first and second floor hails. Almost all chandeliers, wall sconces, and pendant light fixtures are original. The floor system for the first floor, second floor and attic is a structural concrete slab with applied wood or tile finishes, an unusual form of construction for residences built in the 1920s.

The grandeur of the entry hall is breathtaking. The flooring of oak and maple parquet is laid in a checkerboard pattern. The coffered plaster ceiling is finished in multiple colors to bring out its rich layers of detailing. French doors flanking the entry have exquisitely carved wood casings. These casings are repeated at all French doors; those in the library and dining room are finished with a touch of gold leaf. Equally stunning are the dining room, living room, and library with original oak floors throughout. The dining room has textured plaster walls and a molded plaster crown. The library also has textured plaster walls, with a molded plaster crown and plaster ceiling decorated in geometric plaster moldings. The conservatory is flooded with light from a combination of windows and French doors on three sides. Green ceramic tile floors are decorated with inlays of multi-colored zodiac tiles.

The kitchen, pantry, and butler's pantry are strikingly more utilitarian. A checkerboard of green and white ceramic tile flooring runs through these spaces, and the walls and ceilings are plaster with no ornamentation. The kitchen cabinets and fixtures do not appear to be original.

The one alteration affecting the first-floor interior is the enclosing of a rear patio that existed between the two ells by the addition of a wall of sliding glass doors. In the center of this space is a medallion of multi-colored ceramic tiles in the zodiac theme that is prevalent in other areas of the home. In the center of this medallion was originally a fountain that has since been removed. The balance of the floor is a field of green ceramic tile with randomly placed zodiac tiles. The exterior brick walls have been covered in wood paneling, and the ceiling associated with this change is a lay-in acoustical tile ceiling. There is evidence of where the original window openings were located, and the enclosure of this space is easily reversible.

The second floor is dedicated to sleeping quarters and bathrooms and contains six bedrooms, five baths, a sleeping porch, and a stair hall. Oak floors run throughout, mostly covered with carpeting. The four original bathrooms, state of the art for their day, are what is most striking about the second-floor spaces. Original ceramic tile and matching plumbing fixtures have remained intact. The tile includes vibrant shades of gold, green, pink, and black.

Although suffering from years of dampness, the basement is virtually unaltered and has retained much of its original finishes. The basement contains a ballroom, service kitchen, and bathroom on the west end, with a grand parlor stretching beneath the center front of the house. To the east are the original laundry room, storage room, and furnace room. The floor is tiled in all areas except the furnace room and service rooms with one-inch square ceramic tiles laid in a grid pattern. The face of the fireplace in the ballroom is also finished in ceramic tile, both one- and two-inch square, in a variety of earthy browns, blues, greens, and yellows, a sharp contrast to the brightly colored tiles of the first and second floors. The plaster walls are in deteriorated condition due to foundation drainage problems.

The large attic is accessed only by the servants' stairs and is unfinished. The flooring in the attic is exposed concrete, one of the few spaces in the home where the slab is visible.

Situated to the rear of the house off the northeast corner is the two-story garage. The garage was constructed at the same time as the primary residence and housed servants on the second floor. The exterior draws on many of the materials and architectural details of the main residence including matching buff brick, six-over-six wooden double-hung windows, and a hipped roof. The original green Ludowici roof tiles have been replaced with green asphalt shingles. Being a garage, some details are repeated in alternative materials such as brick quoins instead of stone at the corners of all four elevations and a stringcourse of brick as opposed to stone at the sills of the upper story windows. From dated photographs, it appears there was never a garage door, only the one large opening on the front (south) elevation. The lintels supporting the openings for the windows and the large front elevation opening are finished in soldier courses of matching brick. As one might expect the garage interior is very utilitarian, the first floor level is one open space void of any wall or ceiling finishes. Running along the rear wall is a simple open-string stair with wooden treads and risers and no railing. There is a simple wood railing across the stair opening on the second level. The second level is currently divided into two primary spaces with one small auxiliary room to the rear. Plaster remains on the walls and ceilings, although in deteriorated condition. Two-paneled wood doors original to the garage still remain stored on this level.

Directly behind the main residence and in line with the center axis is a large tiled Roman-style pool measuring fifty feet long by twenty feet wide. While in deteriorated condition, many of the original ceramic tiles are still in place. The wall tile is white with a band of pink tile toward the top of the pool. The pool deck is finished in half-inch green and white tiles laid in checkerboard fashion. Copper ladders lead to the pool's deepest end.