GREENVILLE – The Humber House in Greenville isn’t what it used to be. It’s better. Once home to the visionary legislator Robert Lee Humber Jr. and his prominent family, the 1895 structure had fallen into disrepair. It has been restored to its former glory, complete with modern updates and now serves as the Eastern Office of the N.C. Office of Archives and History in the Department of Cultural Resources.
The 10 a.m., Friday, May 8, dedication of the Humber House will mark the most recent renovation and preservation project completed in Pitt County. N.C. Department of Cultural Resources Deputy Secretary Jeffrey Crow; County Manager Scott Elliot; Greenville Mayor Pat Dunn; and John Humber, son of Robert Lee Humber Jr., will share remarks.
Since 1976, more than 2,000 certified North Carolina rehabilitation projects have been reviewed by the State Historic Preservation Office representing more than one billion dollars of investment. Beautiful inns, character filled offices and shops, and cozy apartments and condos have been claimed from ghosts of structures that seemed beyond salvation. These efforts provide jobs and generate income to help keep communities vibrant. Property owners or corporations wishing to preserve and restore qualifying old properties are able to use federal and sate tax credits.
One remarkable restoration in Greenville was the Blount Harvey building. The historic window sashes and decorative terra cotta ornamentation were gone, and whose entire front masonry facades had been covered with brick veneer with steel framing intrusions added. These and other original masonry elements were restored to the once handsome department store, the veneer removed, and it now is home to specialty shops including a florist, gourmet confections, restaurant, and a wine shop and bar. Other restorations include the 1850s Harris House, which was restored by a young couple. It had been abandoned for many years and was wasting away. The much loved Village of Yesteryear is a restored collection of buildings that will soon move from the fairgrounds to another rural site.
Across eastern North Carolina, restorations assisted by the Eastern Office of the Archives include the woefully deteriorated Hope Plantation in Bertie County, once described as having one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel. It is now an attractive and active historic site. So is the Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station in Dare County which also had been abandoned and fallen into disrepair.
Individuals or groups wishing to preserve and restore old properties are assisted by federal and state tax credits. Income producing properties can receive a 20 percent state and a 20 percent federal tax credit. The state also gives a 30 percent credit to non-income producing historic properties. In many cases the credits can actually make the cost of restoring the home less than building something new. Rehabilitation simply means returning a property to a useful condition while preserving the historic and cultural features. Renovations and the constructive reuse of resources is a highly valued practice in “green” conscious communities.
Interest in preservation is growing, as newcomers and area residents alike see value in restoring older properties. There has been such interest that Edgecombe Community College will have a Historic Preservation Trades program available this fall. That means tradesmen no longer will be called from Virginia, as is the present case, but locals can get the skilled jobs. Eastern Archives office director
Scott Power and restoration specialists Reid Thomas and John Wood are advisors to that program.
For additional information, call (252) 830-6589, ext. 222. The Eastern Office of Archives and History is within the N.C. Office of Archives and History in the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history and culture. Now podcasting 24/7 with information about the Department of Cultural Resources at www.ncculture.com.