Preservation Greensboro News
Preservation Greensboro Endorses Relocation of Fisher Park House
2/15/06 - Preservation Greensboro Incorporated has publicly endorsed the relocation of the Margaret Gay House at 620 North Elm Street to a new location within the Fisher Park neighborhood. Gay House owner First Presbyterian Church acquired the house in 2005 and announced plans to expand its church parking. The congregation has offered the house for free to anyone who will preserve it.
With several plans for relocation on the table, the Preservation Greensboro Incorporated board voted in favor of plans that would preserve the house in a manner that would not be to the detriment of other historic sites in the city, and asked for leeway from city boards with the removal of mature trees that could be an impediment to relocation.
Preservation Greensboro's executive director Benjamin Briggs stated "Choosing between mature street trees and historic houses within any historic district is not an enviable situation, but in the long-term the board felt that trees are renewable resources and 80-year old houses are not." The board strongly encouraged replacing any street trees lost in the process of the move with large planting of 4" caliper or greater. It also encouraged additional street tree plantings in the wake of the project within the impact area.
The Margaret Gay House was constructed around 1920 on Greensboro's most fashionable major thoroughfare, and remains today a well-preserved example of an American Foursquare. With wide overhanging eaves, a hipped roof, and oversized brackets, the house blends Prairie design with Mediterranean flair. In 1982, it was considered significant enough to be included as a contributing structure within the Fisher Park National Register Historic District. "Places like the Gay House are too important to lose," says Briggs, "We encourage people to think creatively in ways this house can be maintained as a part of the Fisher Park neighborhood."
Preservation Greensboro Incorporated is a nonprofit membership organization that helps protect treasured historic and architecturally significant places. Established in 1966, PGI¹s programs range from educational seminars and walking tours to annual awards, children¹s activities and the news magazine, Landmarks. Its subsidiary organizations include the Preservation Revolving Fund, Architectural Salvage of Greensboro, Blandwood Mansion and
Museum Shop, the Blandwood Carriage House, and the Blandwood Ball. Contact Benjamin Briggs, Executive Director, at 336.272.5003.
For more information on the Margaret Gay House, or Preservation Greensboro Incorporated, contact Benjamin Briggs by email, or by telephone 336-272-5003.