Guilford Courthouse National Military Park

Superintendent’s Residence

Historic Structure Report

2007

By

Joseph K. Oppermann - Architect, P.A.

P.O. Box 10417, Salem Station Winston- Salem, NC 27108

336/721- 1711 FAX 336/721- 1712

joskopp@mindspring.com

for

Historic Architecture, Cultural Resources Division

Southeast Regional Office

National Park Service
Cultural Resources

Southeast Region

National Park Service

100 Alabama St. SW

Atlanta, GA 30303

(404) 562-3117

The historic structure report presented here exists in two 

formats. A traditional, printed version is available for study 

at the park, the Southeastern Regional Office of the NPS 

(SERO), and at a variety of other repositories. For more 

widespread access, the historic structure report also exists 

in a web- based format through ParkNet, the website of 

the National Park Service. Please visit www.nps.gov 

for more information.

2007

Historic Structure Report

Superintendent’s Residence

Guilford Courthouse National Military Park

Greensboro, NC

LCS#: 91444

Cover image: Undated view of residence, c. 

1935 (GUCO NMP files, Box 1)


SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Table of Contents 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page i 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

MANAGEMENT SUMMARY 

Executive Summary............................................................................................1 

Administrative Data............................................................................................4 

PART I – DEVELOPMENTAL HISTORY 

A. Historical Background and Context................................................................I.A.1 

Early North Carolina.................................................................. I.A.1 

Backcountry Settlers................................................................. I.A.1 

The Revolution........................................................................I.A.2 

The Battle of Guilford Court House............................................... I.A.2 

Continuing Town Development..................................................... I.A.4 

The Growth of Greensboro......................................................... I.A.4 

The Battle Site.........................................................................I.A.5 

Early Preservation Efforts........................................................... I.A.5 

Efforts to Create a Federal Park.................................................... I.A.7 

The New Deal......................................................................... I.A.8 

National Park Service Administration............................................. I.A.8 

Mission 66 and the 1968 Master Plan.............................................. I.A.9 

 

B. Chronology of Development and Use..............................................................I.B.1 

Design Concept and Pre-Construction............................................. I.B.1 

Initial Construction.................................................................. I.B.2 

Maintenance........................................................................... I.B.4 

Timeline................................................................................ I.B.6 

C. Physical Description.................................................................................I.C.1 

General Description.................................................................. I.C.1 

Construction Characteristics........................................................ I.C.3 

Utility Systems....................................................................... I.C.37 

Summary of Conditions............................................................. I.C.39 

PART II – TREATMENT & USE 

A. Introduction......................................................................................... II.A.1 

B. Ultimate Treatment & Use........................................................................ II.B.1 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Table of Contents 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page ii 

C. Requirements for Treatment ...................................................................... II.C.1 

D. Alternatives for Treatment ........................................................................ II.D.1 

E. Recommendations................................................................................. II.E.1 

REFERENCES 

APPENDICES 

A. 1934: Original Drawings 

B. 1934: Original Specifications 

C. 2006: As-found Measured Drawings 

D. Recommended Ultimate Treatment – First Floor Plan 

E. Structural Assessment 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Project Team 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page iii 

PROJECT TEAM 

Building Investigation/ Joseph K. Oppermann, FAIA 

Building Condition Assessment Joseph K. Oppermann – Architect, P.A. 

 Winston-Salem, NC 

Research Joseph K. Oppermann, FAIA, Historical Architect

 Joseph K. Oppermann – Architect, P.A. 

 Winston-Salem, NC 

Building Recordation Jennifer Plocher Wilkins, Associate AIA 

 Joseph K. Oppermann – Architect, P.A. 

 Winston-Salem, NC 

Document Layout Jennifer Plocher Wilkins, Associate AIA 

 Joseph K. Oppermann – Architect, P.A. 

 Winston-Salem, NC 

Report Editor Jane Kelly 

 Message Makers 

 Winston-Salem, NC 

Project Manager Tommy H. Jones, Architectural Historian 

 National Park Service 

 Southeast Regional Office 

 Atlanta, GA 

Program Review Coordination Charles E. Cranfield, Superintendent 

 Guilford Courthouse NMP 

 Greensboro, NC 

 

 Tommy H. Jones, Architectural Historian 

 Southeast Regional Office 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Project Team 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page iv 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Executive Summary 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page 1 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

On the morning of March 15, 1781, the experienced British army under British General Lord Charles, Earl Cornwallis met the 

ragged Continental soldiers and militia under Major General Nathanael Greene near 

the small backcountry hamlet of Guilford 

Court House. The resulting battle, technically won by the British but not without insurmountable losses, would prove pivotal in 

turning the tide of the Revolutionary War to 

the Americans. 

As the years passed, Guilford Court House 

(later renamed Martinville) became deserted 

as the newly formed county seat Greensboro, named after the Major General, developed into a bustling city just six miles away. 

The site of the battle became largely forgotten until Judge David Schenck, an amateur 

historian, sought it out and began to study 

the battle. In 1886 Schenck purchased two 

tracts of battlefield land and established the 

Guilford Battle Ground Company, a nonprofit association to continue the preservation effort. 

The charter of the Guilford Battle Ground 

Company stated that its purpose was “preserving and adorning the grounds on and 

over which the battle of Guilford Court 

House was fought.” In practice, the emphasis was on adornment, with changes to the 

landscape made to create a park-like setting. 

Monuments were erected honoring not only 

the heroes of the Battle of Guilford Court 

House, but other Revolutionary War battles. 

The Guilford Battle Ground Park began to 

have a presence on the national stage in 

1910 when a bill was passed allocating federal funds for construction of a monument to 

Major General Nathanael Greene at the 

park. This success came after thirteen prior 

failed attempts at a federally-funded Greene 

monument, and three failures at having the 

park named a National Military Park in the 

early 1900’s. After the Greene Monument 

was dedicated on July 3, 1915, the next attempt at bringing the park into the national 

system was successful, with the bill creating 

Guilford Courthouse National Military Park 

signed into law on March 2, 1917. 

Guilford became the first Revolutionary 

War battlefield named a national park, and 

then contained one hundred twenty-five 

acres of battlefield with twenty-eight gravesites and monuments. Paul W. Schenck, son 

of Judge David Schenck, became the first 

commissioner of the park under the administration of the War Department. The administration of military parks was later 

transferred to the National Park Service in 

1933. 

 A 1933 Public Works Administration appropriation for National Military Parks and 

National Battlefields earmarked $97,000 for 

improvements at the Guilford Courthouse 

National Military Park site. Four buildings 

were constructed: an Administration Building, Superintendent’s Residence, Utility 

Building, and Inflammable Storage Building. The Administration Building and residence were modeled after Colonial-era Moravian structures from the town of Salem, 

approximately thirty miles west. The Superintendent’s Residence, the subject of this 

report, was designed as a handsome storyand-one-half, side-gabled structure with 

dormer windows and Flemish bond brick 

walls. A wing on the east side of the building was sheathed in weatherboard siding. 

Construction was completed on all buildings 

in May 1935. The first tenant in the residence was Resident Commissioner James H. 

Roane. The building served successive superintendents until 2002, at which time it 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Executive Summary 

 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page 2 

became used for storage and temporary 

housing. 

It has been proposed to use the now-vacant 

Superintendent’s Residence as a library and 

meeting place, in conjunction with the City 

of Greensboro’s nearby Tannenbaum Historic Park. To study the significance of the 

residence, its current condition, and the alternatives for treatment, the National Park 

Service contracted with Joseph K. Oppermann – Architect, P.A. (JKOA) in June 

2006, to prepare an historic structure report. 

The study team included Joseph K. Oppermann, FAIA, historical architect, and Jennifer Plocher Wilkins, intern architect, of 

JKOA and David C. Fischetti, P.E., structural engineer of DCF Engineering, Inc. 

In the preparation of these historic structure 

reports, Charles E. Cranfield, Superintendent at Guilford Courthouse NMP, provided 

from that office’s files copies of earlier reports and other relevant documents. Tommy 

Jones, architectural historian of the National 

Park Service’s Southeast Regional Office 

(SERO), provided technical data and additional sources of information. Angela Fitzgerald, administrative technician at Guilford 

Courthouse NMP, provided recollections 

from the course of her long tenure at the 

park where documentation was lacking. The 

park’s maintenance chief Mike Baxter provided information on recent work at the 

residence. 

Wilkins reviewed the historic documents, 

located other secondary sources, retrieved 

maps and other iconographic images. She 

also took measurements and produced 

measured drawings of floor plans and architectural details. Oppermann and Wilkins 

prepared the digital photo-documentation of 

the building and site. Oppermann prepared 

the architectural description of the building. 

Oppermann and Fischetti investigated the 

building fabric and building equipment to 

determine the building’s evolutionary history and assess condition. All inspections of 

the physical building fabric were limited 

largely to visual observations. There was 

neither extensive dismantling of building 

materials nor testing of building systems. 

Examples of existing conditions were recorded with Canon digital cameras. 

 

The investigating team found that the residence retains a substantial percent of its 

original building fabric, with the majority of 

changes affecting fixtures and finishes. 

Many changes, such as the carpet laid over 

original wood floors, or ceiling tile applied 

over original plaster ceilings, are additive 

and can be reversed. The residence largely 

retains its original floor plan, with generous 

sized rooms and handsome detailing. The 

residence is in good condition, thanks to its 

high quality original materials and regular 

maintenance. The most notable exception is 

the shutters, which suffer from rot and peeling paint. Mechanical, electrical, and 

plumbing systems are in good working condition, though several elements should be 

monitored due to age. 

The recommended treatment includes the 

rehabilitation of the interior and exterior of 

the residence, retaining as much as practical 

the many original 1934-era design characteristics. This approach would retain character-defining interior and exterior features 

while providing some flexibility in less significant spaces of the residence. The large, 

public spaces of the first floor lend themselves well to reading rooms and bookshelves, while the private spaces are appropriately scaled for services. The second 

floor rooms could easily be used as staff office space, meeting space, and storage for 

the friends’ organization. Modifications to 

provide a handicapped accessible entry and 

restroom on the first floor are recommended. 

In addition, the recommended treatment 

does not preclude the future return of the 

building to a residence, should the need 

arise.
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Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Administrative Data 

 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page 3 

ADMINISTRATIVE DATA 

Locational Data 

Building Name: Superintendent’s Residence 

Building Address: 2332 New Garden Road, 

 Greensboro, NC 

Location: Guilford Courthouse National 

 Military Park 

County: Guilford 

State: North Carolina 

Related Studies 

Hiatt, John. Guilford Courthouse National 

 Military Park Cultural Landscape 

 Report. National Park Service, 2003. 

_______. Guilford Court House Battlefield 

 National Historic Landmark Nomination. 

 National Park Service, 1999. 

Baker, Thomas E. Redeemed From 

 Oblivion: An Administrative History of 

 Guilford Courthouse National Military 

 Park. National Park Service, 1995. 

Real Property Information 

Acquisition Date: November 1935 

Numbering Information 

LCS #: GUCO 91444 

FMSS Number: 68280 

Size Information 

Total Floor Area: 2893 square feet

First Floor Area: 1398 square feet 

Second Floor Area: 1087 square feet 

Additional Floor Area: 0 square feet 

Crawl Space Area: 752 square feet 

Finished Basement Area: 0 square feet 

Unfinished Basement Area: 408 square feet 

Roof Area: 1530 square feet 

Perimeter Length: 165 feet 

Number of Stories: 1.5 

Number of Rooms: 18 

Number of Bathrooms: 1.5 

Cultural Resource Data 

National Register Status: Listed 

National Register Date: February 1979 

Period of Significance: 1935-

Proposed Treatment 

Rehabilitation of the interior and exterior, 

retaining as much as practical the many 

original 1934 era design characteristics. 
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2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page 4 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I A Historical Background and Context 

 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page 1 

 

PART I. DEVELOPMENTAL HISTORY 

A. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

Early North Carolina 

The charter for a territory called “Carolina” 

was granted by Charles II in 1663 to eight 

ruling Lords Proprietors. At that time, English settlement was concentrated in the 

coastal Albemarle area. With the development of Charleston as a port in the southern 

part of the territory, the proprietors divided 

the province into two administrative units, 

north and south. The governor was located 

in Charleston, and a deputy governor appointed for the northern part of Carolina. 

North Carolina became a separate colony in 

1712, with its own governor and administration. 

North Carolina became a Royal Colony in 

1729, when seven of the eight Lords Proprietors sold their rights to the British 

crown. The northern part of North Carolina 

became known as the Granville District, the 

claim of Lord Carteret, Earl of Granville, 

who, as the abstaining proprietor, had retained his rights to sell the land. The area 

was located in Albemarle County which, 

along with Bath County, was one of the 

original counties in North Carolina. 

Backcountry Settlers 

In the 1730s, settlers along the North Carolina coast began to move westward, into 

what was called the backcountry. As noted 

in the travel accounts of William Byrd II, 

the backcountry towns once occupied by the 

Saura (Cheraw) Indians near the North 

Carolina-Virginia border (near present-day 

Danbury) were already abandoned. The 

Saura had moved southward roughly fifty 

miles to join the Keyauwee (near presentFigure A-1 “A New and Correct Map of the Province of North Carolina”, 1733, Edward Moseley 

(Colonial Records Project, NC Archives & History) 

day Asheboro) in the first decade of the 

eighteenth century; both tribes later moved 

into South Carolina. 

The majority of new settlers in the backcountry came from the north, down the 

Great Wagon Road from Pennsylvania 

through Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. 

Among these groups were Pennsylvania 

Quakers, who established the settlement of 

New Garden in the mid-eighteenth century, 

and Moravians, who purchased a 100,000- 

acre tract from Granville’s agents in 1753. 

Scots-Irish and English ancestry predominated, although German settlers came in 

substantial numbers. 

In 1771 Guilford County, named for Francis 

North, the Earl of Guilford, was formed 

from parts of Orange and Rowan counties. 

It was one of several new counties in the 

backcountry, the creation of which was regarded as a political move to decentralize 

the Regulators. That group of protestors 
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2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.A.2 

Figure A-2 The Great Wagon Road in 

North Carolina, 1750-1780 

(NC Department of Archives & History) 

Figure A-3 Major General Nathanael Greene 

(Soldier-Statesmen of the Constitution, Robert K. 

Wright Jr., 1987) 

against corrupt county officials had caused a 

riot in the Orange County seat, Hillsborough, in 1770. Seven commissioners for 

the new Guilford County were chosen, along 

with a location for a court house, prison, and 

stocks. The location of Guilford Court 

House, approved by the legislature in March 

1774, was about thirty miles east of the 

Great Wagon Road and the Moravian town 

of Salem. 

It is not known exactly when the court house 

was built, nor its precise design or location. 

Primary sources note that in 1777, the building was still not completed. Court records 

from the 1780s suggest that the building was 

earthfast, with embedded wooden posts or 

groundsills supporting the structure. By 

1781, a small town had grown up around 

Guilford Court House and a store had been 

opened nearby by Thomas Henderson and 

Thomas Searcy. Fewer than fifty persons 

likely resided there, and most were of ScotsIrish descent. 

The Revolution 

Initially battles of the American Revolution, 

which unofficially began in Concord, Massachusetts, in 1775, were concentrated primarily in the northern colonies. After several years, the British began to shift their 

focus to the southern colonies, where it was 

thought that the Loyalist population was 

large. British General Lord Charles, Earl 

Cornwallis led his troops through the south, 

capturing Savannah in December 1778 and 

Charleston in May 1780. As Cornwallis 

moved into North Carolina, Major General 

Nathanael Greene led his continental soldiers and militia south to eventually meet 

the British at the Battle of Guilford Court 

House. 

The Battle of Guilford Court House

On the morning of March 15, 1781, Major 

General Greene marched 4,400 American 

troops and militia into battle against General 

Cornwallis and 1,900 soldiers of the British 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.A Historical Background & Context 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.A.3 

Figure A-4 Map of the Battle of Guilford Court House, by Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton, 1787 

(Guilford Courthouse NMP)

army. The first line of the American side 

consisted mainly of North Carolina militia. 

The second line was mostly Virginia militiamen, and the Continental cavalry held the 

flanks. The remainder of the American force 

was on the third line. The Americans were 

first to open fire. The British fought back 

with force through both forest and open 

fields and eventually made it to the third 

line, where hand-to-hand combat commenced. Soon after, American forces retreated, resulting in a pyrrhic victory for the 

British, who counted 550 dead and 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.A Historical Background & Context 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.A.4 

wounded, while the Americans suffered only 

250 casualties. 

Afterwards, Lord Cornwallis marched his 

troops to the coastal city of Wilmington, 

North Carolina, to recuperate and gather 

supplies. They then headed into Virginia 

where they were ultimately defeated in October 1781 at the Battle of Yorktown. The 

United States army then headed south and 

liberated South Carolina and Georgia from 

British control. 

Although the British won the Battle of Guilford Court House, it was one of the pivotal 

points of the Revolution. The victory came 

at such high cost that Cornwallis and his 

army were never able to regain full strength 

for the final battles in Virginia. 

Continuing Town Development 

At the time of the Battle of Guilford Court 

House, the State of North Carolina owned 

the 350-acre tract on which the county seat 

was located. The land had been seized in 

1778 from its owner, Edmund Fanning, an 

original Guilford County commissioner, because of his continued allegiance to Great 

Britain. When the state put the land up for 

public auction in 1781, Alexander Martin 

and his brother-in-law Thomas Henderson 

purchased the tract. 

Martin was a merchant and politician who 

had moved to Salisbury from New Jersey in 

the 1760s. In 1773, he settled northwest of 

Guilford Court House, following his appointment as one of the original seven 

commissioners of the county. He was 

elected to represent Guilford County in the 

Provincial Assembly that year, and in 1779 

first presented a bill to the legislature to establish a town around the court house. 

Though his bill was unsuccessful, his purchase of the land two years later denoted his 

confidence in the idea. 

Martin was elected governor of North Carolina in 1782, a position which he held until 

1785, and again from 1789 to 1792. While 

still awaiting an official town charter from 

the Assembly, Martin laid out a town around 

the courthouse and started selling off lots in 

the fall of 1785. The charter was granted in 

December of that year, and the town was 

named Martinville. 

The town contained two principal streets. 

Battle Street ran north-south along the path 

of the old Reedy Fork Road, the route of the 

American retreat during the battle. Green 

Street ran east-west along the path of the 

Old Salisbury Road, by which the British 

had approached to do battle. 

Each lot consisted of one acre, though it is 

not known how many lots the original plat 

contained. Several lots were subdivided after their purchase. Deed records indicate 

that by 1792, there were five taverns in the 

town. The store that had opened in the 

1770s was still in operation at least until 

1788. Quarter sessions of county court were 

held in February, May, August, and November, certainly the busiest months for merchants and tavern keepers. 

A new courthouse was completed in 1792. 

The building measured thirty-six feet long 

and twenty-six feet wide, and was constructed of brick. Despite the early successes 

of Martinville, only twelve lots were sold 

between 1785 and 1802. By the mid-1790s, 

many of the original buyers had sold their 

land. The final blow came in 1809 when the 

county seat was relocated to the newly chartered town of Greensboro, more centrally 

located in the county. Commerce brought to 

Martinville by the court disappeared, and the 

town was gradually deserted. 

The Growth of Greensboro 

Greensboro was established in 1808 and 

named to honor the great Major General. It 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.A Historical Background & Context 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.A.5 

was located about six miles south of Martinville. By the 1820s, industry began to make 

its way into the new county seat. The first 

steam-powered cotton mill in the state was 

started in Greensboro and was soon exporting textiles to other counties and states. This 

marked the beginning of a major industry in 

the Piedmont. 

In the 1830s, higher education began to play 

a large role in the progress of the town. 

Guilford College was founded by the Quakers as New Garden Boarding School in 

1837; Greensboro College was chartered the 

following year. Later in the nineteenth century, development would be further influenced by the establishment of Bennett College in 1873, and institutions that would become the University of North Carolina at 

Greensboro (1892) and North Carolina A&T 

State University (1894). 

In the 1850s railroads began streaming 

through the city, aiding commerce and travel 

to the area. The Civil War caused a temporary pause in the growth of Greensboro, but 

the city was important in the success of the 

Underground Railroad. 

The Reconstruction era brought new industries into Greensboro and the surrounding 

areas. The production of tobacco products 

boomed, as did the lumber and furniture industries. Textile production remained a major presence. Commerce brought with it a 

need for mass transportation. More than 

sixty trains a day arrived and departed from 

the city of Greensboro, giving it the nickname of the “Gate City.” Its prosperity continued well into the twentieth century. 

The Battle Site 

As Greensboro grew, the former site of Martinville crumbled. By the mid-nineteenth 

century, parcels of land in the old town had 

been consolidated until they were 

Figure A-5 Postcard of Proximity Mills, Greensboro 

(Penny Postcards from North Carolina, 

USGenWeb Archives) 

held by just two persons. Author William 

Henry Foote reported in 1846 that the courthouse was gone and only one house remained occupied. Three years later, historian Benson J. Lossing wrote that “only a 

few dilapidated and deserted buildings” 

were left, describing one of them as a “log 

house, partially clap-boarded.” 

Artist and travel writer David Hunter Strother visited the site in 1857 and included his 

observations in an article for the July 1857 

issue of Harper’s New Monthly Magazine. 

Strother witnessed “ruined chimneys and 

decayed wooden houses,” accompanying his 

description with an illustration. Stone 

chimneys were noted by an anonymous author in 1859. 

Early Preservation Efforts

The first efforts to commemorate the Battlefield of Guilford Court House came in 1857. 

The Greene Monument Association was 

formed that year to raise funds for construction of a memorial to Major General Greene 

at the battlefield. Its efforts were interrupted 

by the Civil War and the Reconstruction. 

The centennial year of 1876 witnessed a 

surge in American patriotism focused on the 

Declaration of Independence. The United 

States Congress gave appropriations of 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

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2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.A.6 

Figure A-6 David Schenck, undated 

(A Memorial Volume of the Guilford Battle 

Ground Company, 1893) 

$244,000 to build monuments at Revolutionary War sites; although Guilford Court 

House was a suggested location, it was not 

included. A similar measure in 1884 also 

failed to secure funds for a battlefield 

monument. 

The first act of battlefield preservation was 

not accomplished by the federal government, but by a private citizen, Judge David 

Schenck. Schenck had been a Superior 

Court Judge in Lincolnton, and resigned his 

post after accepting a job as general counsel 

for the Richmond and Danville Railroad, 

headquartered in Greensboro. 

 

Schenck began to study the battlefield. His 

notes record that the “ancient roads” were 

abandoned and the town of Martinville was 

fully barren of structures. The Cape Fear 

and Yadkin Valley Railroad crossed the park 

north-south. In 1886, the same year that the 

railroad’s tracks were completed, Schenck 

purchased two parcels of land, the first containing thirty acres and the second twenty. 

After investing $700 of his own funds into 

acquiring battlefield land, Schenck founded 

the Guilford Battle Ground Company in 

1887 as a non-profit association to continue 

the effort. Though the company’s charter 

stated its purpose as “preserving and adorning the grounds on and over which the battle 

of Guilford Court House was fought,” its 

work focused on making the land a “pleasuring ground” with monuments to war heroes, 

rather than on restoring the battlefield to its 

1781 appearance. 

Between 1887 and 1904, the Guilford Battle 

Ground Company acquired more battlefield 

land, bringing the total amount to 112 acres. 

It operated as Guilford Battle Ground Park 

and continued to “beautify” the battlefield 

and create a park-like setting. 

The first monument constructed was a granite memorial to Captain Arthur Forbis, a local casualty of the battle. Additional 

monuments, such as one dedicated to Major 

Joseph Winston in 1895, were placed as part 

of planned vistas in the designed landscape 

of the park. Monumental arches installed in 

1905 commemorated the service of Brigadier Generals Francis Nash and William Lee 

Davidson, neither of whom had participated 

in the Battle of Guilford Court House. The 

park had become “the state’s generalpurpose Revolutionary War memorial.” 

The Guilford Battle Ground Company built 

a “keeper’s lodge” in 1887 for the resident 

caretaker, which contained a museum and 

reception room. In 1888, another cottage 

was constructed for Schenck, along with a 

speaker’s stand. Two spring houses were 

built in 1890. By June 1891, the artifact collection had grown enough to warrant a separate museum building. A restaurant was 

constructed the following year. Historic 

photos indicate that these structures were of 

typical Victorian-era design that had little 

reference to the historic nature of the battlefield. 
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2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.A.7 

The creation of a park-like memorial setting 

occurred at other battlefields as well, driven 

by Centennial patriotism of private backers. 

These efforts, although some are now seen 

through modern eyes as misguided, were 

successful in generating interest in and preserving the land of early battlefields. 

Efforts to Create a Federal Park 

In 1904 the Guilford Battle Ground Company launched an effort to make Guilford 

Courthouse a National Military Park. The 

initial bill failed, as did similar bills in 1905 

and 1907. 

A bill proposing a monument to Major General Nathanael Greene at the Guilford Battle 

Ground Park was introduced in 1910, the 

fourteenth attempt in a series going back to 

1888. The bill passed, and the subsequent 

law provided funds for the monument if the 

Battle Ground Company agreed to deed sufficient land to the government. The Nathanael Greene Monument was dedicated on July 

3, 1915. The event is now regarded as an 

important step towards creating a federal 

presence at the battlefield. 

Representative Charles M. Steadman’s introduction of a bill to establish Guilford 

Courthouse National Military Park in 1917 

met with favorable response. The bill was 

signed into law on March 2, 1917, and the 

park became the first Revolutionary War 

battlefield to become a national park. The 

park then contained one hundred twenty-five 

acres of battlefield with twenty-eight gravesites and monuments. The stated goal of the 

National Military Park Commission was to 

restore battle sites to their Revolutionary 

War appearance, but accurate restoration did 

not occur at the Guilford site. 

Paul W. Schenck, son of the founder of 

Guilford Battle Ground Company, became 

Figure A-7 Guilford Battle Ground Park, undated, 

showing museum at left, battle monument just left of 

center, and entrance at right (A Memorial Volume of 

the Guilford Battle Ground Company, 1893) 

Figure A-8 Greene Monument, undated (National 

Park Service) 

the first commissioner of the park under the 

administration of the War Department. He 

was replaced by Edward E. Mendenhall in 

During the tenures of Schenck and 

Mendenhall, work at the park was mainly 

cosmetic. The small annual budget allowed 

too little to prevent deterioration of roads 

and buildings. 

In 1933, administration of the national military parks was transferred from the War Department to the National Park Service. Resident Commissioner James H. Roane replaced Mendenhall in the fall of that year. 
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Figure A-9 Administration Building, undated but 

assumed c. 1950 (National Park Service) 

1922. 

The New Deal 

The election of President Franklin Delano 

Roosevelt in 1932 marked the beginning of 

relief from the Great Depression, as the new 

administration instituted a variety of work 

programs designed to create jobs and stimulate the economy. Collectively called the 

New Deal, these programs included the Public Works Administration (PWA), which 

budgeted billions of dollars for the construction of public works. 

The total 1933 appropriation to the PWA for 

improvements at many National Military 

Parks and National Battlefields was 

$4,392,500. From that, the PWA allocated 

$97,000 for improvements at the Guilford 

Courthouse National Military Park site. The 

work began in the summer of 1934. Improvements were made to the park’s roads, 

trails, and sewer system. Four buildings 

were constructed, including an Administration Building, Superintendent’s Residence 

(also known as Quarters No. 1), a Utility 

Building, and an Inflammable Storage 

Building. 

The buildings, designed by the National 

Park Service’s Eastern Division Branch of 

Plans & Design, were Colonial Revival style 

structures with Moravian architectural details as seen in the colonial-era town of Salem, located thirty miles west of the park. 

The Administration Building was sited on 

the north side of New Garden (Old Salisbury) Road, across from the Greene Monument. The center block of the building was 

brick laid in Flemish bond, with three dormer windows into the upper half-story of the 

side-gabled structure. Weatherboarded 

wings flanked the center block. The building contained the park’s museum, library, 

and administrative offices. The Superintendent’s Residence was similarly designed, but 

had only one end wing. The Utility Building was an L-shaped frame structure, with 

painted weatherboard siding. The Inflammable Storage Building, constructed of solid 

brick walls and a concrete floor, was located 

adjacent to the utility building, forming one 

corner of a fenced service court for the utility group. 

Construction was supervised by Greensboro 

architect Joseph J. Sawyer. Sawyer had 

been hired by the Park Service as an “associate architect” under public works appointment. In a letter from Charles Peterson 

to Sawyer on May 17 of that year, the position was offered at a salary of $3,200. 

The final construction report written by 

Sawyer indicates that labor was paid in accordance with PWA requirements, with 

skilled labor at $1.10 per hour and unskilled 

at $.45 per hour. The highest number of 

men employed was in March 1935, when 

sixty-six men labored a total of 3,262.25 

hours. The work was officially completed 

on May 24, 1935. The contractor was 

George W. Kane, with offices in Greensboro, Roxboro, and Durham. The final cost 

of the buildings was $56,002.90. 

National Park Service 

Administration 

Resident Commissioner James H. Roane 

occupied the Superintendent’s Residence 
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after its construction. The first full-time 

permanent appointment by the National Park 

Service was William P. Brandon in May 

1937, who carried the official title of Junior 

Historian, but functioned as Acting Superintendent. 

The first master plan for the park was completed in 1936 and addressed restoration of 

the grounds as much as possible. The buildings constructed by the Guilford Battle 

Ground Company were demolished, along 

with roads, an artificial lake, inappropriate 

plantings, and other elements of the earlier 

designed landscape. An additional 23.5 

acres of land, including a parcel thought to 

be the site of the 1780s Guilford Court 

House, were acquired between 1934 and 

1937 through donations by local citizens. 

As the land within the park was gradually 

coming closer to its original battle site appearance, land outside the park was becoming more urban with the continuing growth 

of Greensboro. Much of the development 

occurred on the battleground, since the park 

included only a fraction of the thousand 

acres thought to have been fought over in 

1781. Forest Lawn Cemetery had been established by the city south of the park in 

1930, while a city park was completed to the 

southeast by the Civil Works Administration 

in 1934. 

Intent on preserving remaining parcels adjacent to the park, Superintendent Brandon 

developed a land-acquisition program in 

1940. The Second World War intervened, 

requiring a more conservative approach to 

park management. In the interim, a large 

entertainment complex was built adjacent to 

the park in the early 1950s, complete with 

restaurant, drive-in movie theater, and gocart track. Its construction potentially damaged archaeological remains from the early 

town of Martinville. 

Population in Greensboro exploded from 

19,861 in 1920 to 123,334 in 1960, causing 

the city to creep even closer to the park. 

Coupled with its own expansion, the park 

came to border the city limits of Greensboro 

on the south and east sides in 1964. 

Mission 66 and the 1968 Master 

Plan 

The fiftieth anniversary of the National Park 

Service occurred in 1966; the milestone was 

marked by Mission 66, a ten-year program 

begun in 1956 intended to upgrade outdated 

park facilities. The Mission 66 plan at Guilford included the purchase of an additional 

residence in 1956, known as Quarters No. 2, 

as well as the proposed creation of a tour 

road through the park. Also included were 

plans to close New Garden Road, which 

brought ever-increasing suburban traffic 

through the park. Additional parcels of land 

were purchased bringing the park to its current size of 220.25 acres in the 1970s. 

A new master plan was completed in 1968 

and revised the following year. The plan 

developed the unrealized Mission 66 goals, 

including construction of the tour road and 

expansion of the inadequate Administration 

Building. It was ultimately decided to demolish the 1934 structure and build a new, 

modern Visitor’s Center, which was completed in 1975. The tour road, forming a 

loop through the park, was also constructed 

in 1975. 

The railroad tracks through the park were 

abandoned in 1981 and removed in 1985, 

eliminating another modern intrusion into 

the heart of the battlefield. 

Tannenbaum Historic Park was created by 

the city of Greensboro west of Guilford 

Courthouse in 1988. Although the park does 

not interpret the battle, it is sited on battlefield land. Structures at the park recall the 
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backcountry houses that would have stood in 

the area at the time of the battle. A new master plan was created for the park in 1997. 

The majority of future goals outlined in the 

plan are landscape related, including the 

planned closure of Old Battleground Road 

through the park. The plan reportedly did 

not address the Superintendent’s Residence. 

The park was included in the Guilford Court 

House Battlefield National Landmark district in November 2000, along with Tannenbaum Historic Park, Greensboro County 

Park, and other private holdings. The landmark nomination did not consider the Superintendent’s Residence to be a contributing 

structure. However, the National Register 

nomination, as amended in 1996, recognized 

a historic district with the Superintendent’s 

Residence, Utility Building, and Inflammable Storage Building listed as contributing 

structures. 

Park superintendents ceased to live in the 

residence in 2002, at which time the building was used for storage and temporary 

housing when needed. In recent years, park 

Superintendent Charles Cranfield began 

lobbying to use the Superintendent’s Residence as a library and meeting place in conjunction with Tannenbaum Historic Park. 
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B. CHRONOLOGY OF DEVELOPMENT AND USE 

Design Concept and PreConstruction 

The drawings for the buildings at Guilford 

Courthouse National Military Park were 

produced by the Eastern Division Branch of 

Plans & Design, a unit of the National Park 

Service under the direction of Thomas Vint. 

The individual responsible for the design is 

not known. Initials on the drawings indicate 

that the sheets were drawn by L.S.W. and 

G.H.R., traced by R.E.S., L.S.W., R.F.G., 

and C.C.P, and checked by J.R.T and 

C.W.A. The drawings are dated April 28, 

1934. 

Although the goals of the National Park 

Service included restoration of the park to 

its appearance at the time of the battle, the 

1934 building designs were not evocative of 

the structures near the site in 1781. By all 

accounts, the courthouse itself and the 

houses later constructed in Martinville were 

unremarkable, wooden structures. Probably 

most were log, and some had weatherboard 

siding. Stone for chimneys would have been 

taken from local escarpments. This type of 

construction would have been in keeping 

with traditional vernacular buildings of the 

Scots-Irish settlers in the area. 

The structures in the park built by the Guilford Battle Ground Company, beginning in 

the late nineteenth century, also had scant 

stylistic connection to the time of the battle. 

Instead, the early park buildings were typical Victorian structures. 

Thus, when the National Park Service 

sought a design concept for the group of 

new buildings in the 1930s, it chose a concept which both reflected the colonial time 

period and which was then popular in 

American architectural design. The Colonial Revival style was consistent with the 

Figure B-1 Brick buildings at Old Salem 

NPS philosophy of harmonizing buildings 

with their cultural settings. The brick construction would also present a more substantial appearance than vernacular log structures. 

Colonial Revival structures first appeared in 

the late nineteenth century and remained 

fashionable, especially for large residences, 

through the 1930s. Most employed architectural elements and characteristics of early 

American buildings in the design of the larger-scale structures appropriate for contemporary culture. The buildings at Guilford 

Courthouse, however, were more accurately 

scaled representations of the Colonial-era 

buildings extant thirty miles to the west in 

Salem, founded in 1766. The Moravians 

who established the town had arrived in 

backcountry North Carolina thirteen years 

earlier seeking to create a religious community. In the Germanic tradition, the buildings of Salem were predominantly brick, 

with gabled roofs covered with flat tile. 

Preservation efforts at Salem began in the 

1950s, resulting today in a museum town 

operated as Old Salem. 

The most important buildings of the NPS 

plan at Guilford Courthouse, the Admini-
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stration Building and the Superintendent’s 

Residence, were designed as one-and-onehalf-story structures of brick laid in Flemish 

bond, with at least one frame and weatherboard wing. They were side-gabled and had 

a group of three dormers into the upper halfstory; the roofs were covered in flat tile. 

The Utility Building, as its name suggests, 

was a more utilitarian wood-framed building 

with weatherboard siding, fronting a courtyard with the brick Inflammable Storage 

Building at one corner. 

Bids for the construction of all buildings 

were opened on June 29, 1934. The low 

bidder of six proposals submitted was 

George W. Kane, with offices in Greensboro, Roxboro, and Durham. The contract 

for all four buildings was $53,943. 

Construction was supervised by architect 

Joseph J. Sawyer of Greensboro, who was 

hired in May 1924 by the National Park Service as an associate architect under public 

works appointment. 

Initial Construction 

Sawyer produced weekly reports that give 

detailed information of the construction sequence and minor design decisions made 

during construction. His report for the week 

ending August 23, 1934, indicated that the 

job had begun in the afternoon of August 

21.1

 By the week of September 6, the footings were in, and the brickwork was started 

the following week. Window frames were 

rejected for a second time the week of October 4, because they were not primed before 

assembling. The roof was felted in by October 25. Plumbing and steam pipes were 

laid the week of November 22. By January 

17, 1935, the plasterwork was complete and 

was drying out, a process which had begun 

 

1

 All construction correspondence and superintendent’s reports referenced in this section from Guilford Courthouse NMP files. 

with the brown coat the week of December 

13. Linoleum floors were installed the week 

of March 21. All work was deemed complete the week of May 16, 1935, except for 

screens and the “rubbing” of paint work on 

doors. Rubbing was done to produce a leveled, smooth finish on painted or varnished 

surfaces, by rubbing with an abrasive, often 

pumice, in oil or water.2

Correspondence from John L. Nagle dated 

August 23 states that face bricks by the 

Yadkin Brick Works in New London, North 

Carolina, were approved. It was noted in 

this letter that the bricks in question were 

not handmade as requested in the specifications, but the “desired effect” was provided. 

A letter from Nagle on the following day 

indicates that common brick by the Borden 

Brick & Tile Co. was approved for the project. Bond between the face brick and 

common brick was noted as being at every 

sixth course, since the vertical dimension of 

six courses of face brick corresponded to 

five courses of common brick. 

The first official change during construction 

was recorded in a letter dated November 7, 

1934, from contractor George Kane. He 

proposed building an 8” brick wall from the 

top of the already-built concrete cross walls 

in the basement to the bottom of the 6” x 

10” floor girders. Tin-clad doors would be 

installed in the brick walls to provide access 

to the unexcavated spaces of the basement. 

The work was intended to make the basement fire proof, and the letter of proposal 

was accepted as change number one. 

Changes two through four are recorded on 

Sawyer’s final construction report, dated 

June 27, 1935. Change two entailed changing the height of the window in the gable of 

the residence at a cost of $39.50. Change 

three included changing two hinge types for 

 

2

 According to Frank Welsh of Welsh Color and 

Conservation, Inc., a historic finishes specialist. 
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$50.60. Change four was for outside electric service wires to buildings, except the 

Utility Building, at a cost of $914.25. 

The contractor sent a letter on March 4, 

1935, giving the price to add a door between 

the hall and the dining room as $36. This 

change was accepted as change number five. 

Changes six through eight, noted on the final 

construction report, do not involve the residence. Change number nine installed laundry trays in the basement of the residence at 

a cost of $85. The total cost of extra work at 

all buildings was $2,059.90, for a final contract price of $56,002.90. 

J.R. Thrower sent a memo to Sawyer on 

March 25, 1935, regarding the color scheme: 

It appears that the interior colors selected seem 

too brilliant and glaring. Perhaps this is due to 

the absence of furnishings and household goods, 

but as Mr. Simmons states, you concur in this 

opinion and we recommend that you have the 

painter tone down the colors of the last coat, 

provided it is not too late to make such a change 

from the approved color samples. 

It is not necessary that additional samples be 

submitted to this office; just follow your own 

judgment and tone-sense. 

The public works administrator approved an 

increase in allotment for the project to 

$72,005 from $66,225 on July 16, 1935. 

Sawyer’s final report indicates that the work 

was carried out strictly in accordance with 

the plans and praises the workmanship on 

the buildings. 

The Superintendent’s Residence was a 

handsome, story-and-one-half brick building 

with a weatherboarded wing to the east. 

Measuring almost thirty-eight feet by thirty 

feet, the central brick block of the structure 

rested on a moulded brick watertable, while 

the frame wing, thirteen feet six inches by 

eighteen feet six inches, was supported by a 

Figure B-2 Southeast oblique of residence, undated 

but assumed c. 1935 (Guilford Courthouse NMP 

files, Box 1) 

brick foundation. The side-gabled roofs 

were clad in red Ludowici-Celadon shingle 

tiles. Stairs to the three house entrances – 

the front door, the back door, and the porch 

wing – were composed of local granite. The 

front door also featured wrought-iron railings and an arched, copper-covered hood, 

further recalling Moravian design features. 

Double-hung wood windows were located 

on each elevation. The south-facing porch 

columns of the wing repeated the shallow 

brick arches above the windows. 

Inside, the residence contained a central stair 

hall which extended almost the full depth of 

the building with a coat closet in the rear, 

along with enclosed stairs to the basement. 

To the left of the hall was the living room 

with a corner fireplace; behind this room 

was a small sewing room. To the right of 

the hall was a dining room with a kitchen 

beyond. The kitchen had built-in cabinets, a 

broom closet, and access to the enclosed 

porch and pantry in the rear of the frame 

wing. The enclosed porch contained the 

back door of the house, while the dining 

room had an exterior door to the porch fronting the frame wing. 

According to the plans, the floors of the first 

level were of oak, with linoleum used in the 
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Figure B-3 Kitchen in residence, June 8, 1935 

(Guilford Courthouse NMP files, Box 1) 

Figure B-4 Stair hall and living room, June 8, 1935 

(Guilford Courthouse NMP files, Box 1)

kitchen, enclosed porch, and pantry. Wood 

picture mouldings were used in all rooms 

except the kitchen. 

Upstairs, the residence contained three bedrooms, a bath, and a generous attic above the 

wing. Two of the three bedrooms had builtin closets. The flooring was oak in the bedrooms and hall, pine in the attic, and tile in 

the bath. The newel and railing at the stair 

was specified as birch. 

The basement of the residence contained an 

L-shaped room with crawl spaces on each 

side. A coal-fired hot water heater, oil 

burner, and boiler were located in the basement, while an oil storage tank was buried 

outside to the west of the house. Exterior 

stairs provided access from the basement to 

grade at the rear of the house. 

Resident Commissioner Roane moved into 

the Superintendent’s Residence in 1937 and 

reportedly lived in the house until 1941. 

Maintenance 

Superintendent’s reports indicate areas of 

maintenance and other work on the residence. Damaged shingles were reportedly 

replaced on all buildings in May 1947. The 

report dated July 5, 1947, states that crushed 

stone was placed on the walks. The following year, a report dated September 11 and 

written by custodian Raleigh C. Taylor 

states: 

...an attack by termites on the custodian’s residence was halted, and further measures are being 

taken as directed by the Coordinating Superintendent and Architect Higgins. 

Details of damage and repair are not reported. Taylor served as park superintendent from November 1945 until August 

1955 and, presumably, lived in the residence. 

Painting on the exterior was reported underway in a report dated October 6, 1949 

and completed on November 11. A report 

dated May 2, 1951, indicates that mesh 

overhangs were added to the gutters. 

The kitchen was remodeled in 1957 and 

again in 1988. The coat closet was converted to a half-bath in 1988. 

Some light fixtures were replaced at an unknown date. In addition, plastic-coated ceil-
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ing tile was placed on all the ceilings of the 

first floor rooms at an unknown date. 

The HVAC systems were upgraded in 1983 

and 1993. It is not known when air conditioning was originally added to the building. 

Some electric rewiring was also completed 

in 1993. 

Some doors were removed between first 

floor rooms at an unknown date. Carpet was 

installed in the bedrooms and dining room, 

and modern tile was installed in the second 

floor bathroom, likely during the other 

1980s work. Additional closets were built in 

two of the second-floor bedrooms at an unknown date, also likely 1980s. 

Although there is no documentation of when 

the side porch was enclosed, that enclosure 

was remodeled in 1994. At that time, the 

plywood which formed the existing enclosure, its storm doors and windows, and 

flooring were removed and replaced with 

new doors, flooring, and insulated windows. 

Also that year, new 6” copper gutters and 

downspouts were installed to replace the 

original 4” gutters, in an attempt to correct 

water problems. 

Angela Fitzgerald, long-time administrative 

technician at Guilford Courthouse NMP, 

recalls several details about remodeling 

campaigns that are not included in park 

documentation. Fitzgerald said that the first 

carpet was installed in the house when Mark 

Woods became superintendent in March 

1991, and was replaced when Robert Vogel 

began his tenure as superintendent in March 

1996. Fitzgerald said that the wood floors 

had been sanded and varnished at one time 

prior to the carpet installation. 

Fitzgerald recalled that the modern ceiling 

tiles were installed prior to the most recent 

kitchen remodeling of 1988, and prior to any 

wallpaper being installed. She also said that 

the bathroom upstairs was remodeled near 

the end of the tenure of Superintendent 

Willard Danielson in 1990. 

Fitzgerald said that large window air conditioning units were once used in the residence, and that the 1983 HVAC upgrade 

was likely the first time the building had 

central cooling. She recalled that additional 

insulation was added to the building at the 

same time.3

 

In early 2005, the original clay roof tiles 

were removed and cleaned. Missing gutter 

hangers were replaced. New ice guard at the 

eaves, felt underlayment, and copper flashing was installed and the tiles were reinstalled. Broken tiles, previously repaired 

with roofing cement, were replaced with 

around 700-800 salvage tiles matching the 

originals. The tile was procured at $3.45 

each, with the total cost of the project reaching $53,301. The contractor was Carolina 

Roofing, Inc., in Winston-Salem.4

A minor plumbing leak originating at the 

second floor bathroom occurred in November 2006, during the production of this report. The leak caused several modern ceiling tiles in the entry hall below to become 

soaked, and fall away. Wood nailers measuring 3 5⁄8” by 3⁄4” and attached to the original plaster ceiling were exposed. 

The residence ceased to be used in 2002 and 

has since served as a storage building, occasional meeting place, and temporary housing 

for park officials. The building is wired for 

satellite-based NPS training sessions, which 

are conducted in the east bedroom upstairs. 

 

3

 Angela W. Fitzgerald, Administrative Technician, 

13 November 2006 

4

 Mike Baxter, Park Maintenance Chief, 13 November 2006 
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Timeline

1729 North Carolina became a Royal Col-

 ony. 

Immigration begins to rise in the 

colony; the Great Wagon Road (from 

Pennsylvania to Georgia) is 30 miles 

west of Guilford Courthouse site. 

1771 Bill for establishment of Guilford 

County is signed into law. Guilford 

County is named for Francis North, 

Earl of Guilford. 

1773 Boston Tea Party occurs as a protest 

against taxation by the British without representation in Parliament. 

1774 Construction for a courthouse, 

prison, and stocks in Guilford 

County is approved. 

1776 The United States Congress declares 

independence from Great Britain. 

 Earliest known reference to “standing” courthouse in Guilford County 

is made. 

1781 The Battle of Guilford Court House 

occurs on March 15. 

 Cornwallis surrenders the Royal 

Army at Yorktown on October 19. 

1783 Warfare officially ceases and the 

 Articles of Peace are ratified by 

 Congress. 

1857 First local effort to commemorate the 

battlefield is made by the Greene 

Monument Association. 

1876 Congressional appropriations of 

$244,000 are made to build monuments at Revolutionary War sites; 

Guilford Court House is suggested to 

be included, but is not approved. 

1882 Judge David Schenck moves to 

Greensboro. 

1886 Schenck buys thirty acres of battlefield land for $10 an acre, and twenty 

acres of battlefield land for $20 an 

acre. 

 Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Railroad is built to pass through the park. 

1887 The non-profit Guilford Battle 

Ground Company is chartered by the 

North Carolina General Assembly. 

Judge David Schenck is named 

president. 

1887-1888 The Guilford Battle Ground 

Company spends $3,000 to acquire 

sixty-two acres of battlefield land. 

They build a caretaker’s cottage with 

reception room and museum and 

erect a granite monument to Captain 

Arthur Forbis. 

1904 The Guilford Battle Ground Company launches an effort to make 

Guilford Courthouse a National Military Park; the bill fails along with 

similar proposals in 1905 and 1907. 

1915 The Nathanael Greene Monument, 

constructed with federal funds, is 

dedicated on July 3. 

1917 Guilford Courthouse National Military Park is established, with 125 

acres of land and twenty-eight 

monuments/graves. It is the first 

Revolutionary War battlefield established as a national park. The Secretary of War was responsible for preserving the battlefield “for historical 

and professional military study”. 

1932 The Public Works Administration 

creates Country Park adjacent to 
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Guilford Courthouse National Military Park. 

1933 Administration of the national military parks is transferred from the 

War Department to the National Park 

Service. 

The Public Works Administration allocates $4,392,500 for improvements 

in National Military Parks and national battlefields, of which $ 97,000 

was designated for Guilford Courthouse. 

1934 Construction begins on an administration building, superintendent’s 

residence, and utility buildings. Improvements to the park’s roads and 

trails are made. 

1934-1939 Just over twenty-three acres 

of land are acquired through donations of local citizens, including the 

supposed original site of the 1800s 

courthouse. 

1936 A new master plan is developed. 

1940 Highway 220/Battleground Avenue 

is relocated half a mile beyond the 

western boundary of the park; Old 

Battleground Road still runs through 

the park. 

The park superintendent submits “A 

Land Acquisition Program for Guilford Courthouse National Military 

Park.” 

1947 Damaged shingles are replaced at the 

Superintendent’s Residence. 

1951 Mesh coverings are added to gutters 

 at the Superintendent’s Residence. 

1956 The National Park Service’s Mission 

 66 initiative for improvements be-

 gins. 

1957 The kitchen of the Superintendent’s 

 Residence is remodeled. 

1958 The master plan is revised. 

1968 A new master plan is developed to 

 address unrealized Mission 66 goals. 

1975 The new visitor’s center is completed, and the 1934 Administration 

Building demolished. 

1983 The HVAC system is upgraded in 

the Superintendent’s Residence, 

likely adding central cooling to the 

building for the first time. 

 Building insulation is upgraded. 

1988 Tannenbaum Park opens adjacent to 

Guilford Courthouse National Military Park. 

 The kitchen is remodeled at the Superintendent’s Residence. The firstfloor coat closet is remodeled into a 

half bath. 

 The second floor bathroom is remodeled. 

1991 Carpet is installed in some rooms of 

the residence. 

1993 The HVAC system is again upgraded 

in the Superintendent’s Residence, 

and two electric heat pumps are installed. 

 At least a portion of the electrical 

system is upgraded. 
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1994 A new master plan is developed. 

 

 Gutters are replaced at the Superintendent’s Residence, and the porch 

enclosure is remodeled. 

2002 The Superintendent’s Residence 

 ceases to serve as park housing; 

 Robert Vogel is the last superin- 

 tendent to live in the residence. 

2005 The original roof tiles are removed, 

new underlayment and copper flashing installed, and tiles reinstalled 

with 700-800 salvage tiles replacing 

broken originals. 

2006 A minor leak in the second floor 

bathroom causes several ceiling tiles 

in the entry hall to become waterlogged and fall, exposing wood nailers and the original plaster ceiling. 
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C. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

General Description 

From the western approach to Guilford 

Courthouse National Military Park along 

New Garden Road, an unobtrusive driveway 

leads north away from the battlefield to service buildings and park equipment. In a 

clearing to the east is the modestly scaled 

but handsome Superintendent’s Residence. 

It was designed by National Park Service 

architects and constructed in 1934-35 as part 

of a Public Works Administration effort. 

The style of architecture is Colonial Revival 

style with frequent references to the eighteenth-century Germanic architecture of the 

Moravians in nearby Salem. 

The Superintendent’s Residence is a storyand-one-half brick house with a smaller and 

lower, story-and-a-half wing of frame and 

board. The main block is constructed of 

brownish-red bricks finished to resemble 

handmade and laid in Flemish bond on all 

elevations. Gable end wall chimneys frame 

the long elevations. The wing has weatherboard on its north and east elevations and 

flush boards on its south elevation, which 

originally included an inset porch, now enclosed in glass with wood framing. 

The main block measures almost thirty-eight 

feet long by thirty feet deep, with the main 

façade facing south. This elevation is a 

three-part, symmetrical composition with a 

central doorway flanked by large, eightover-twelve light, double-hung windows. 

At the second floor level, three roof dormers 

repeat this pattern of fenestration. The 

doorway, the main public entrance, is emphasized by broad, granite steps and landing 

with handsome wrought iron railing, and 

shaded overhead by a striking, half-round 

bonnet. 

The rear exterior wall, the north elevation, is 

Figure C-1 South elevation of Superintendent’s 

Residence 

Figure C-2 North elevation of Superintendent’s 

Residence 

the service side of the building. Three roof 

dormers provide second-floor light as on the 

front elevation, but the windows at firstfloor level are smaller, and there is no direct 

entrance into the main block. A sash door 

provides entrance to the first floor of the 

wing, while concrete steps lead to a belowgrade entrance at basement level, a service 

staff access point that avoids travel through 

the family’s living quarters. 
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Figure C-3 Concrete and brick foundation wall 

Figure C-4 Flemish bond brick wall and watertable 

Like the front of the house, the west gable 

end wall is symmetrical in design. Two 

large eight-over-twelve windows at the first 

floor flank the center chimney. At the second floor the two flanking windows are 

smaller and offset to accommodate the 

steeply pitched roof. 

The composition of the opposite east elevation is interrupted by the low, story-and-ahalf, wing of frame and weatherboard siding. Placed off center with a massing distinctly lower and smaller than the main 

block, it is clearly designed for ancillary activities. Its principal exterior feature is the 

porch stretching across its south (front) elevation. With columns and arches, the porch 

was originally open, but now is enclosed 

with glass and light framing. It provides a 

modest yet attractive feature that blends well 

with the arched openings of the main block. 

Inside, the main block of the residence is 

organized on a center hall plan, two rooms 

deep on either side of a center stair hall. 

The front door enters into the central hall 

with its handsome, varnished wood staircase 

leading to the private second floor. The 

more public rooms are aligned across the 

south wall on the first floor. To the west, 

the living room contains the house’s one 

fireplace with a large wood mantel. To the 

east is the dining room with a chandelier and 

two corner cupboards. The rooms behind, 

along the north wall, were designed for service activities such as a kitchen and sewing 

room. Accordingly, they have neither the 

major features nor the fine detailing found in 

the front rooms. 

Upstairs, the bedrooms are arranged around 

the central stair hall. Visible from the first 

floor, this second-floor hall repeats the 

handsome detailing found in the first-floor 

hall’s balustrade, baseboards, picture molding, doors and windows and their casings. 

The bedrooms, as private spaces, have less 

abundant fine detailing. 
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The east wing provides ancillary spaces, a 

service entrance connecting to the north rear 

of the house, the original pantry (now laundry), and a somewhat exclusive porch accessed from the dining room, a place where 

visitors might be invited to linger. The 

overhead attic, originally floored but not finished, was a storage room off an upstairs 

bedroom. It is now finished and used most 

recently as a child’s playroom. 

Construction Characteristics 

Structural Systems 

Foundations & Cross Walls: The belowgrade perimeter walls of the main block and 

east wing are 9” thick, composed of imitation-handmade brick laid in common bond. 

The cross walls below grade are poured in 

place, reinforced concrete, 9” thick. On top 

of these cross walls originally sat brick 

piers. During construction, the open spaces 

between the brick piers were filled with 

brickwork laid in common bond. 

The footings of the perimeter brick walls 

and concrete cross walls are indicated on the 

construction drawings as poured in place 

reinforced concrete, 21” wide by 9” deep. 

Exterior Walls: The above-grade perimeter 

walls of the main block are 9” thick at both 

the first and second floors. The bricks are 

imitation handmade and laid in Flemish 

bond on all four elevations. 

The base of the wing is a perimeter masonry 

wall of imitation-handmade bricks laid in 

Flemish bond. On top of the masonry base 

is a frame structure with weatherboard on 

the north and east elevations. The original 

south exterior porch wall is sheathed in 

flush, tongue-and-groove boards of varying 

widths. The new south exterior wall, installed in 1994, is primarily thermal glass 

Figure C-5 Southeast oblique of frame wing

Figure C-6 Roof framing 

supported by a grid of small dimension 

framing. 

Flooring Systems: The floor framing consists of 2” x 10’ floor joists spaced at 16” on 

center. The interior supports for the first 

floor consist of masonry walls and a 6” x 
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Figure C-7 Roof shingles, stepped flashing, and gutter

Figure C-8 East chimney 

10” timber girder. The interior support for 

the second floor consists of masonry perimeter walls and 2” x 4” stud framing spaced 

at 16” on center. 

Roof Framing: The roof rafters and collar 

ties are 2” x 8” at 16” on center with a 2” x 

10” ridge. The rafters and collar form a gable roof with a pitch equal to a rise of 11 to a 

run of 12. 

Exterior Features 

Roof and Rainwater Collection/Dispersal: 

The roofing material is a flat, unglazed, pan 

tile the color of terra cotta. A favorite of the 

Moravians, it was installed on both the main 

block and the wing during construction, and 

was removed and reinstalled in 2005, with 

salvage tiles replacing those that were broken or damaged. 

The flashing at the chimneys and dormers is 

copper. At the chimneys it is installed as 

stepped flashing, the method also preferred 

by the Moravians. 

The original, machine-formed, 4” half-round 

copper gutters were replaced with the 6” 

version in 1994 to improve rainwater dispersal. The 2” x 3” copper downspouts were 

replaced in-kind at the same time. At grade, 

the downspouts connect to cast iron drains 

that carry the rainwater to buried storm 

drains running parallel to the front and rear 

house elevations. 

Chimneys: The house has two matching 

chimneys, one at the center of each gable 

end of the main block. Each is engaged to 

the gable end wall so that the roof is offset 

around the chimney stack. They are built of 

the same imitation-handmade brick as the 

main block, and are minimally decorated 

with stucco banding and a corbelled brick 

cap. 

The west chimney serves the first floor, living room fireplace. The east chimney pro-
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vides venting for the mechanical equipment 

located in the basement. 

Rake Board & Cornice: Set flush against the 

brick gable end walls of the main block are 

the 8” wide rake boards with a crown molding along the top. These flare as they meet 

the cornice end board to reflect the kick of 

the roof, propelling rainwater up and away 

from the house walls. The wood cornice is 

richly detailed with a deep soffit offset with 

modestly scaled crown molding, corona and 

bed molding. The east wing has a simpler 

rake board and cornice. 

Walls: The perimeter walls of the main 

block are made of brick. Above grade the 

bricks are finished to resemble handmade 

and laid in Flemish bond on all four elevations. The brick size is 7 3⁄4” x 2 3⁄4” x 3 1⁄2”. 

The range of colors, from most common to 

least common, is brown, reddish-brown, and 

red. The horizontal joints have a weather 

joint; the vertical joints are flush. 

Below grade and in the interior cross walls 

of the basement, pressed bricks are used. 

The size is 7 3⁄4” x 2 1⁄4” x 3 1⁄2”. The range 

of colors, from most common to least common, is red and brown. The mortar joints 

are pointed flush. 

The original south exterior wall of the frame 

wing, onto the now-enclosed porch, was 

sheathed in flush, tongue-and-groove boards 

of varying widths. The new south exterior 

wall of the porch enclosed in 1994 is primarily thermal glass supported by a grid of 

small dimension framing. The north and 

east elevations of the frame wing are 

sheathed in wood weatherboard siding. At 

the dormers, flush board siding following 

the angle of the roofline is installed at the 

exposed sides. 

Doorways: The main front-entrance doorway at the center of the south elevation is 

the most architecturally sophisticated and, at 

Figure C-9 Rake board and cornice at main block

Figure C-10 Front entrance doorway 

3’-2”, is the widest. The six-panel door is 

the most complex of the building’s door designs, with raised panels on both sides and 

bold moldings. It is the only door with strap 

handles and the only doorway with a 

fanlight transom of complex tracery. The 

electric lights flanking the door appear to be 

modern replacements. 
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Figure C-11 North doorway to east wing

Figure C-12 Eight-over-twelve window on west elevation

Of secondary importance is the doorway 

from the side porch that opens into the dining room. The door is of the same design as 

the front door but smaller at 2’-8” wide. 

There is no transom, and the hardware is the 

same as found elsewhere in the house. 

Of tertiary importance are the rear service 

doorways, one into the wing and the other at 

the basement. The sash door into the wing 

is for use primarily by the resident family. 

Opening into the room originally called the 

“enclosed porch” which adjoins the kitchen, 

it is 2’-8” wide with six lights over a single 

raised panel. Eight-light casement windows 

flank the door, with a row of multi-light 

transoms above. The electric light to the 

east of the door is a modern replacement. 

At basement level of the main block is a 

sash door for use primarily by service personnel. It is a nine-light door over two 

raised panels, 2’-8” wide, and opens into the 

stair hall that adjoins the mechanical room. 

Modern storm doors have replaced early 

screen doors at both the front entrance 

doorway and the north doorway to the wing. 

Windows: On the first floor in the south, 

east and west elevations of the main block 

are eight-over-twelve light, double-hung 

wood sash windows. The sash units measure 3’-4” x 5’-8”. On the first floor in the 

north rear elevation of the main block is a 

single window unit that measures 2’-8” x 5’-

8”; it is a six-over-nine light, double-hung 

wood sash window located at the far westernmost location. The other windows on the 

first floor in the rear elevation are six-overnine light, double-hung, wood sash windows 

measuring 2’-6” x 4’-8”. 

On the second floor in the west gable end of 

the main block are six-over-nine light, double-hung, wood sash windows. The sash 

units measure 2’-8” x 4’-6”. 
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On the second floor of the east gable end of 

the main block is a six-over-six light, double-hung, wood sash window. The sash unit 

measures 2’-8” x 3’-10”. 

The roof dormers of the main block, both 

front and back, have six-over-nine light, 

double-hung, wood sash windows. The sash 

units measure 2’-4” x 4’-9”. 

On the first floor of the wing are two sixover-nine light, double-hung, wood sash 

windows. They each measure 2’-6” x 4’-8”. 

One is in the east elevation and the other is 

in the south wall, and now opens onto the 

enclosed porch. 

On the second floor of the east gable end of 

the wing is a single, six-over-six light, double-hung, wood sash window that measures 

2’-4” x 3’-8”. 

The large windows of the first floor of the 

main block have three-panel wood shutters 

as originally designed. The smaller windows of the north elevation have two-panel 

shutters. 

The second-floor, gable-end windows of the 

main block have two-part, louvered shutters, 

as originally designed. 

The double-hung windows of the wing exposed to the weather (i.e. east elevation) on 

both the first and second floors have twopart, louvered shutters. 

All shutters have metal hardware (shutter 

dogs, strap hinges, slide bolts, and pintle 

hinges) cast to appear as wrought iron. 

The dormer windows have never had shutters. 

Porches & Stoop: The front entrance is at 

the center of the south elevation. It is covered with a hood commonly referred to as a 

“Moravian bonnet,” discussed further below. 

The landing and steps are Mount Airy gray 

granite. The landing is 3’-0” deep x 6’-0” 

wide. The steps have a 12” tread and a 6 1⁄2” 

Figure C-13 Dormer window 

Figure C-14 Shutter hardware 

riser. The top of the landing and steps have 

a thermal finish. The step risers and sides of 

the landing are rusticated. The metal hand 

rail has a 3⁄4” diameter. The distance between the top of the landing and the top of 

the threshold is 2 1⁄2”. 

The steps leading to the now-enclosed side 
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Figure C-15 Front entrance stairs and railing 

Figure C-16 South porch stairs and railing

porch off the dining room are the same granite and finishes as found at the front entrance. Two steps have a 12” tread and the 

third or top step has a 14” tread. All the 

steps have a 6 1⁄2” riser. The distance between the top of the last step and top of 

porch deck is 6”. The steps leading to the 

back stoop of the east wing, opening into the 

room initially labeled “enclosed porch,” are 

made of modern pressed brick. There are 

three steps with a 6 1⁄2” riser and 12” tread. 

The stoop is made of concrete measuring 5 

1⁄2” high by 2’-8” deep by 8’-0” long. The 

distance from top of stoop to top of threshold is 6”. 

Other Features: A distinctive element of 

the front entrance is the hood, so closely associated with the Moravians. Set on a pair 

of sawn wood brackets, it typically is a halfround roof that cantilevers over the entrance 

without vertical support. In this case, the 

bonnet is sheathed in painted galvanized 

metal roofing. The underside is sheathed in 

painted flush wood boards. 

Interior Features 

The Basement 

About sixty percent of the area below the 

main block and all of the area beneath the 

wing is unexcavated crawl space. The 

Figure C-17 Hood at front entrance 
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height from ground level to underside of the 

floor framing varies from about 24” to 48”, 

enough to allow the running and maintenance of service lines and mechanical ductwork. 

The remaining forty percent beneath the 

main block is occupied by two finished 

rooms. This un-climatized, utilitarian space 

has always been used for the placement of 

service equipment and some storage. In addition to a staircase to a doorway leading to 

the first floor interior, there is an exterior 

doorway on the north wall. 

Room 001: The stair hall is the larger of the 

two finished rooms in the basement. It is 

centrally located and extends the full depth 

of the house. Rectangular in plan, it is 7’-7 

1⁄2” wide by 27’-11” long and has a 7’-4” 

floor-to-ceiling height. 

• Flooring: The floor system is the original 

poured-in-place concrete slab. 

• Walls: The north and south walls, which 

are also the exterior walls of the house, are 

made of brick. 

The east and west cross walls are a combination of two wythes of brick laid atop a 9”-

thick, poured-in-place concrete wall. Originally designed as brick piers atop the concrete base, the brick infill between piers was 

a change during construction, intended as a 

fire-proofing measure by closing off the 

crawl spaces. 

• Doors: At the center of the north rear wall 

is an original doorway, opening to the original exterior concrete stairway that rises to 

grade. This doorway has its original, wood 

2’-8” x 6’-8” x 1 3⁄4” nine-light over twopanel sash door. The original brass door 

hardware consists of three 4” hinges, a mortise lock with round doorknobs, and a deadbolt. 

Figure C-18 View into basement crawl space 

Figure C-19 Room 001 looking northeast 

The original door casing also remains; it is 

the same as that found on the first-floor 

doors and windows of ancillary rooms: 7⁄8” x 

3 3⁄4” plank boards with rounded edges and 

constructed with mitered joints at the corners. 

• Windows: No windows are present. 
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Figure C-20 Exterior sash door at north wall of 

Room 001 

Figure C-21 Metal-clad door to crawl space 

• Ceiling: The ceiling, which is original, is 

cement plaster on metal lath as specified in 

the original architectural plans. 

• Baseboards: None are present.

• Finishes: The walls, door, door casing, 

and stairs are painted. 

• Mechanical Systems: Sections of the 

house’s rigid metal ductwork are suspended 

from the ceiling. Condensation lines are 

made of PVC and connect to the cast-iron 

wastewater line in the northwest corner of 

the room. 

The space above the plaster ceiling probably 

lacks insulation, as is evident in the adjoining boiler room (Room 002). 

• Electrical Systems: The electrical service 

is contained in surface-mounted metal conduit. Switches are contained in surfacemounted metal boxes. 

 

• Plumbing Systems: Copper water supply 

and cast-iron wastewater lines are present 

for servicing the first and second floors. 

The wastewater line exits the house just 

west of the exterior door. 

• Other Features: The original wood staircase to the first floor is located along the 

east wall. It is 2’-9” wide with 7” risers and 

11” treads. It has an unadorned 4” square 

newel post and square balusters. 

A metal-clad door in the added brickwork of 

the west crosswall leads to the unexcavated 

crawl space below the living room (Room 

101) and the sewing room (Room 110). 

A second metal-clad door in the east crosswall leads to the crawl space below the dining room (Room 103). Both crawl spaces 

have a dirt floor with the floor joists of the 

rooms above serving as the ceiling; modern 

fiberglass-batt insulation has been added 

between the joists in both spaces. The two 

windows in the west crawl space and one in 

the east are single sash with four lights arranged horizontally. The size of the sash is 

1’-0” by 3’-2”. 
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Two handheld fire extinguishers sit on the 

floor in this room. One is at the base of the 

stairs and the other is at the stair’s midsection; both fire extinguishers sit on the floor 

and reportedly have been serviced recently 

by the park. There is a battery-operated 

smoke detector at the top of the stairway to 

the first floor. 

 

Room 002: The boiler room is the smaller 

of the two finished rooms in the basement. 

Rectangular in plan, it measures 13’-9” by 

about 13’-3” and has a 7’-4” floor-to-ceiling 

height. It is located in the northeast quadrant 

of the building below the kitchen. Lacking a 

west wall, it opens directly into the stair hall 

(Room 001). 

• Flooring: The floor system is the original 

poured-in-place concrete slab. 

• Walls: The north and east walls, which are 

also the perimeter walls of the main block of 

the house, are made of brick. 

 

The south wall is composed of a 9” deep, 

poured-in-place concrete retaining wall, 

with two wythes of brick laid atop during 

construction to close off the crawl spaces. 

The west boundary of the room is formed by 

the brick piers and girder of the original east 

cross wall structural system. 

 

• Doors: High on the east wall is the original 2’-3” x 2’-0” wood batten door that provides access to the crawl space below the 

east wing. 

This crawl space has a dirt floor with the 

floor joists of the rooms above serving as the 

ceiling; modern fiberglass-batt insulation 

has been added between the joists in both 

sections. 

• Windows: Two windows hinged to swing 

Figure C-22 Room 002 facing northeast 

inward are present on the north wall. Both 

are a single sash with four lights arranged 

horizontally. The size of the sash is 1’-0” by 

3’-2”. 

• Ceiling: The ceiling, which is original, is 

cement plaster on metal lath. 

• Baseboards: None are present. 

• Finishes: The window units and walls are 

painted. 

• Mechanical Systems: Sections of the 

house’s rigid metal ductwork are suspended 

from the ceiling. 

Sections of the condensation lines are present and are made of PVC. 

The space above the plaster ceiling lacks 

insulation, as can be seen through a missing 

section of ceiling plaster. 

A fully operational, 45-pint capacity, mobile 

dehumidifier is located near the northwest 

corner of the room. The manufacturer is 

Maytag. 

• Electrical Systems: Electrical service enters the building at the north wall. A modern, 200 amp capacity electrical panel is at 
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Figure C-23 Room 101 facing northwest 

that location, near the adjoining stair hall 

(Room 001). The electrical service is contained in surface-mounted metal conduit. 

Switches are contained in surface-mounted 

metal boxes. Lighting is provided by a twolight, four-foot long, fluorescent reflector 

lighting fixture. 

• Plumbing Systems: Copper water supply 

and cast-iron wastewater lines are present 

for servicing the first and second floors. 

In the northeast corner of the room is a 52-

gallon, fully functional electric water heater. 

It is a Model PV 52, 2RS2 NC, serial number 888584706, made by State Water 

Heater. 

• Other: A cast-iron vent connection cleanout is at the east wall in the southeast corner 

of the room at the base of the east chimney 

stack. 

The First Floor 

This level contains the rooms designed to 

receive the public. Accordingly, the architectural elements of the living room, hall and 

dining room have a more pronounced architectural sophistication than other rooms. 

The hall has the somewhat restrained, but 

impressive, varnished wood staircase, and 

wide cased openings to the adjoining rooms. 

The living room has the lone fireplace with a 

large, finely articulated wood mantel. The 

dining room has two added corner cupboards, and a side porch, now enclosed. The 

baseboards, door and window casings, and 

picture moldings of these rooms are the 

most developed of any rooms in the house. 

Their flooring is varnished golden oak. 

The other rooms on the first floor were 

clearly intended for ancillary functions and, 

being less public spaces, received less decorative emphasis. While any of these rooms 

may have one or more of the details found in 

the public rooms, none has the combination 

of finer details found in the public front 

rooms. 

Room 101: The living room is located in 

the southwest corner of the main house 

block. It measures 13’-8” x 18’-2” and has a 

floor-to-ceiling height of 8’-10 1⁄2”. 

• Flooring: The original flooring, still in 

place, is 2 1⁄4” wide, tongue-and-groove, 

varnished golden oak and is laid northsouth. 

A sub-floor, visible from the basement, is 

made up of tongue-and-groove boards, 5 1⁄2” 

wide, laid diagonally. 

• Walls: The original plaster appears to remain on the walls. 

The wood picture molding appears to be 

original and was specified in the original 

architectural plans. 

• Doors: The original, 4’-0” wide, cased 

opening connects this room with the hall 

(Room 102). 

The doorway on the north wall is framed for 

a 2’-8” x 6’-8” x 1 3⁄8” hinged door. The 
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door and its hardware are missing. 

The casing of both doorways is the original, 

composite design: 4 5⁄8” in width with edge 

bead, raised field, and backband resting on a 

plinth. 

• Windows: One original window opening is 

on the south wall and one is on the west 

wall. Both retain their original, six-over-nine 

light, double-hung sash units measuring 3’- 

4” x 5’-8”. 

The casing of both windows is the same 

original, composite design: 4 5⁄8” in width, 

with edge bead, raised field, and backband 

set on composite apron. 

Both windows retain their original brass 

latching mechanisms. Both windows retain 

their cotton sash cords and wheels, and are 

fully operational. 

• Ceiling: A modern, plastic-coated ceiling 

tile is now present. The date of installation 

is unknown, but assumed to be 1980s. It 

measures 12” x 12” and has an embossed 

geometric pattern. 

Presumably, the original plaster ceiling remains, as suggested by the reduced clearance between the new ceiling tile and the 

original picture molding on the walls. The 

picture molding was originally installed approximately 1 1⁄2” from the plaster ceiling. 

• Baseboards: The original baseboards remain and are a composite design 7” in 

height. The original shoe molding also remains; it measures 1⁄2” in depth by 7⁄8” in 

height. 

• Finishes: The flooring and baseboard shoe 

moldings are varnished. 

The baseboards, window sash and casings, 

door casings, crown molding and mantel are 

painted. 

Figure C-24 Room 101 facing southeast 

The walls have a modern wallpaper with a 

paper strip at the cornice. The exact date of 

its installation is unknown, but it likely dates 

to the late 1980s. 

• Mechanical Systems: Two modern, 6” x 

12” metal floor-supply registers are present. 

One is located along the east wall in the 

southeast corner of the room. The second is 

located along the west wall near the fireplace in the northwest corner of the room.

• Electrical Systems: Wiring is concealed in 

the walls and baseboards. 

The switch plate and outlet covers are modern, brass-plated designs of unknown installation dates. 

The ceiling fixture at the center of the room 

is a modern, light/fan combination of unknown installation date. 

• Plumbing Systems: No plumbing system 

elements are present. 

• Other Features: The original fireplace is 

located in the northwest corner of the room 

on a wall set on the diagonal. The exposed 

brick used in its construction appear to be 

the original: those of the firebox are fire 

brick; the surround is constructed of a dark- 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.C- Physical Description 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.C.14 

Figure C-25 Room 102 facing north

Figure C-26 Exterior door on south wall of Room 

102

red, pressed brick; and the brownish-red 

bricks of the hearth are imitation-handmade 

and laid in running bond. The outer edges 

of the hearth are trimmed with oak boards, 

mitered at the corners. The wood mantel 

stylistically resembles the Federal Period 

with its delicate detailing and multiple panels. It measures 4’-7” in both overall width 

and height. Its shelf is 8” deep and extends 

5’-9” in width. The opening for the firebox 

is 2’-6” tall by 2’-10” wide. 

Room 102: The hall is centrally located in 

the main house block. It is rectilinear in 

plan, measures 7’-7” wide and extends 18’-

2” from the front entrance. The floor-toceiling height is 8’-10”. 

 • Flooring: The original flooring is 2 1⁄4” 

wide, tongue-and-groove, varnished golden 

oak and is laid north-south. 

A sub-floor, although not visible from the 

basement, presumably consists of tongueand-groove boards, 5 1⁄2” wide, laid diagonally as can be seen elsewhere at the first 

floor. 

• Walls: The original plaster appears to remain on the walls. 

The wood picture molding appears to be the 

original called for in the architectural plans. 

Two original 10”-wide wall offsets, one on 

either side of the front door and extending 

from floor to ceiling, contain chases for the 

plumbing lines of the second-floor bathroom. 

• Doors: The original front doorway, centered on the south wall, retains its original 

door, multi-lighted transom, transom bar, 

and door casing. The door’s six-panel configuration comprises four raised panels on 

the bottom and two smaller top panels, 

which were removed at an unknown time 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.C- Physical Description 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.C.15 

and replaced with window glass. The door 

measures 3’-2” x 6’-8” x 1 3⁄4”. It retains its 

original brass hardware of mortise lock, key 

escutcheons, two strap handles, and three, 4 

1⁄2” x 4 1⁄2”, five-knuckle hinges. Although 

the architectural plans called for a stone sill, 

it is made of wood. 

The original, 4’-0”-wide cased opening 

along the west wall connects this room with 

the living room (Room 101). 

The original, 3’-4”-wide cased opening of 

the north wall connects with the back hall. 

The original, 3’-0”-wide doorway on the 

east wall is identified as a cased opening on 

the architectural plans. During construction, 

the design was modified to include a door in 

this opening into the dining room (Room 

103). No door is now present. 

The casing of all four doorways is the same 

original composite design: 4 5⁄8” in width, 

with edge bead, raised field, and backband 

resting on plinths. 

• Windows: There are no windows in this 

room. 

• Ceiling: A modern, plastic-coated ceiling 

tile is now present. The date of installation 

is unknown. It measures 12” x 12” and has 

an embossed geometric pattern. A minor 

plumbing leak originating at the second 

floor bathroom above occurred in November 

2006, during the production of this report. 

The leak caused several modern ceiling tiles 

in the entry hall below to become soaked, 

and fall away. Wood nailers measuring 3 

5⁄8” by 3⁄4” and attached to the original plaster 

ceiling were exposed. 

• Baseboards: The original baseboards remain and are a composite design 7” in 

height. The original shoe molding also remains; it measures 1⁄2” in depth by 7⁄8” in 

height. 

Figure C-27 Damaged modern ceiling tile 

• Finishes: The flooring and baseboard shoe 

molding are varnished. 

The stair treads, newel post, balusters, handrails, and pendant are varnished. The stair 

risers, stringer, and trim are painted. 

The walls are painted. 

The front door, door casing, transom and 

trim are painted. 

• Mechanical Systems: A modern, metal 6” 

x 12” floor supply register is located alongside the staircase. 

• Electrical Systems: Wiring is concealed in 

the walls and ceiling. 

The switch plates are modern, brass plated. 

A ceiling fixture near the front doorway is a 

modern brass and glass design. 

• Plumbing Systems: No plumbing system 

elements are present. 

• Other Features: The original staircase 

connecting the first floor with the second is 

located along the east wall of this room. It 

measures 3’-2” in width. A painted wood 

stringer and risers offset the varnished, 9” 

deep, oak treads. The balustrade is stained 

and varnished. A simple turned newel post 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.C- Physical Description 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.C.16 

Figure C-28 Room 103 facing northeast 

sits on a 3 7⁄8” square base for a total height 

of 3’-1 5⁄8”; the unadorned, rectangular balusters measuring 5⁄8” x 7⁄8” in section, are 2’-

10” tall and placed 4 1⁄4” on center; and the 

handrail is a camelback design. There is a 

sizeable crack near the nosing of one tread, 

the twelfth from the bottom. 

A modern handrail of similar design, stained 

and varnished, is attached with metal brackets to the east wall. 

Room 103: The dining room is located in 

the southeast corner of the main house 

block. It measures 13’-8” x 15’-2” and has a 

floor-to-ceiling height of 8’-10”. 

• Flooring: The original wood flooring is 

presumed to be in place beneath the modern 

sculptured, residential-grade wall-to-wall 

carpet. The original flooring is 2 1⁄4” wide, 

tongue-and-groove, varnished golden oak 

and laid north-south. 

The carpet is a modern addition of unknown 

installation date. 

A sub-floor, visible from the basement crawl 

space, is made up of tongue-and-groove 

boards, 5 1⁄2” wide, laid diagonally. 

• Walls: The original plaster appears to remain on the walls. 

The wood picture molding appears to be that 

called for in the original architectural plans. 

• Doors: The doorway on the west wall 

connects this room with the hall (Room 

102). No door is now present, but there are 

Dutchman patches on the south jamb for two 

hinges to hang a door swinging into this 

room. 

The doorway on the north wall retains its 

original swing door and swing mechanism. 

This door measures 2’-8” x 6’-8” x 1 3⁄8” in a 

six-panel design. The panels are flush on 

both sides of the door. There is a wood 

threshold which also appears to be original. 

The doorway on the east wall is the original 

exterior door onto the porch, now enclosed. 

There is a wood stoop and brass threshold 

both of which appear to be original. The 

original six-panel door remains. The door 

panels on both sides of the door are raised. 

The door measures 2’-8” x 6’-8” x 1 3⁄4” and 

retains its original brass hardware of two 4” 

five-knuckle hinges, and mortise lock with 

circular door knobs. There is also a modern 

deadbolt. 

The casing of the three doorways is the same 

original composite design: 4 5⁄8” in width, 

with edge bead, raised field, and backband 

on plinths. 

 

• Windows: One original window opening 

is on the south wall and one is on the east 

wall. Both retain their original, double-hung 

sash units measuring 3’-4” x 5’-8”. 

The casing of both windows is the same 

original composite design: 4 5⁄8” in width, 

with edge bead, raised field, and backband 

set on composite apron. 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.C- Physical Description 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.C.17 

Both windows retain their original brass 

latching mechanisms. 

Both windows retain their cotton sash cords 

and wheels and are fully operational. 

• Ceiling: A modern, plastic-coated ceiling 

tile is now present. The date of installation 

is unknown. It measures 12” x 12” and has 

an embossed geometric pattern. 

The plaster ceiling appears to be original, as 

suggested by the reduced clearance between 

the new ceiling tile and the original picture 

molding of the walls. 

• Baseboards: The original baseboards remain and are a composite design 7” in 

height. The original shoe molding is missing, presumably removed when the carpet 

was installed.

• Finishes: The baseboards, window sash 

and casings, doors and door casings, crown 

molding, and corner cabinets are painted. 

The walls have a modern wallpaper installed. The exact date of its installation is 

unknown, but it likely dates to the late 

1980s. 

• Mechanical Systems: One modern, 6” x 

12” metal floor supply register is present. It 

is located along the south wall below the 

window. 

• Electrical Systems: Wiring is concealed in 

the walls and ceiling. 

The switch plates are modern, brass plated. 

The ceiling fixture at the center of the room 

is a modern, brass-plated, colonial style 

chandelier. 

• Plumbing Systems: No plumbing system 

elements are present. 

Figure C-29 Corner cabinet in Room 103

Figure C-30 Room 104 facing northeast 

• Other Features: There are built-in corner 

cupboards in the northeast and northwest 

corners of the room. Each cupboard measures 8’-4 1⁄2” in height with a 2’-6” wide 

front set on the diagonal. The lower portion 

is an enclosed cabinet while the upper portion contains open shelves. Though they are 

not on the original architectural plans and 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.C- Physical Description 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.C.18 

Figure C-31 Room 104 facing northwest 

have been coped to fit around baseboards 

and light switches, the level of wear suggests that they are early additions. 

Room 104: The porch is located on the 

south side of the east wing. Originally open, 

it was enclosed at an unknown date and later 

remodeled in 1994. The room measures 

12’-5” x 8’-1”. 

• Flooring: The floor level is 2 1⁄2” below 

that of the first floor of the house. 

The wood flooring is 2 1⁄4” wide, tongueand-groove wood boards laid north-south. 

According to park records, the flooring was 

reportedly replaced in 1994. 

• Walls: Cement plaster, apparently original, 

remains on the west wall. 

Flush, tongue-and-groove board siding of 

random widths of 5 1⁄2”, 7 1⁄2”, and 9 1⁄2” is on 

the north wall. It appears to be original. 

Wood columns, measuring 5 1⁄2” x 5 1⁄2” 

square, apparently original, remain on the 

east and south walls. The modern wood 

framing, one-over-one double-hung sash 

windows, French doors and glass transoms 

probably date to the 1994 remodeling of this 

room. 

A wood cornice, 3 7⁄8” in height, composed 

primarily of a cyma recta curve, is present 

on the north, east and south walls. This 

element is not identified on the original architectural drawings and date of installation 

is unknown. 

• Doors: The doorway on the west wall is 

an original house entrance. There is a wood 

stoop and brass threshold which appear to be 

original. The original six-panel door remains. The panels on both sides of the door 

are raised. The door measures 2’-8” x 6’-8” 

x 1 3⁄4” and retains its original brass hardware of three, 4” x 4” five-knuckle, butt 

hinges, and “Yale” brand mortise lock with 

round door knobs. The door also has a 

modern brass, “Best” brand deadbolt. 

A modern French door of wood and glass, 

measuring 3’-0” x 6’-8”, was framed at the 

center of the east wall and made inoperable, 

presumably in 1994. Apparently during the 

same remodeling, two similar French doors 

of 2’-8” widths were installed on the south 

wall. The easternmost of these is inoperable. The other is operable, set in a new 

framed doorway opposite the original stone 

steps. 

• Windows: There is one original window 

opening. Located on the north wall, it retains 

its original, six-over-nine light, double-hung 

sash measuring 2’-6” x 4’-8.” The casing is 

3 1⁄2” wide, with a 1⁄2” bead on its interior 

edge and a boldly molded backband on the 

outer edge. 

On the east wall is a pair of modern, doublehung sash windows, one on either side of the 

inoperable, modern French door. 

On the south wall there are four more of 

these modern, double-hung sash windows. 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.C- Physical Description 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.C.19 

Two window units flank an inoperable, 

modern French door in the east bay and two 

flank the operable, modern French door in 

the west bay. 

• Ceiling: There is a cement plaster ceiling, 

presumably original. 

• Baseboards: No baseboards are present.

• Finishes: The flooring, walls, window 

sash and casing, door and casing, cornice, 

and ceiling are painted. 

• Mechanical Systems: One modern 6” x 

12” metal floor supply register is present. It 

is located near the middle of the east wall. 

• Electrical Systems: Wiring is concealed in 

the walls and ceiling. 

There is a duplex outlet on the north wall. It 

has a modern, composite plastic cover. 

The ceiling fixture at the center of the room 

is a modern light/fan combination, hardwired and operated by a pull cord. 

• Plumbing Systems: No plumbing system 

elements are present. 

• Other Features: No other significant features are present. 

Room 105: The small room in the northeast 

corner of the wing, next to the original enclosed porch, was the pantry. For some time 

this room has operated as the laundry room. 

This room measures 4’-1” x 9’-6” and has a 

floor-to-ceiling height of 8’-7 1⁄2”. 

• Flooring: The flooring material is modern 

sheet vinyl which continues through the 

original enclosed porch and kitchen. The 

date of installation was probably 1988 when 

the kitchen was last remodeled. A sub-floor, 

visible from the basement, is made up of 

Figure C-32 View into pantry 

tongue-and-groove boards, 5 1⁄2” wide, laid 

diagonally. 

• Walls: The original plaster appears to remain on the walls. 

This utilitarian room has neither a cornice 

nor picture molding. 

• Doors: The doorway on the west wall is 

original. The architectural plans specify 

framing of the opening for a hinged door 

measuring 2’-6” x 6’-8” x 1 3⁄8”. No door is 

present. There are no visible marks for earlier hinges, nor is the doorway framed with 

stops. There is a modern overhead track for 

bi-fold doors which also are not present. 

The original door casing remains. It is made 

of plank boards measuring 7⁄8” x 3 3⁄4” with 

rounded edges. The casing is assembled using mitered joints at the corners. There are 

no plinths. 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.C- Physical Description 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.C.20 

Figure C-33 Room 106 facing southeast 

• Windows: There is one original window 

opening. Located on the east wall, it retains 

its original six-over-nine light, double-hung 

sash measuring 2’-6” x 4’-8”. 

The original window casing also remains. It 

is made of plank boards measuring 7⁄8” x 3 

3⁄4” with rounded edges. The casing is assembled using mitered joints at the corners. 

The window retains its original brass latching mechanism. 

The window retains its cotton sash cords and 

wheels which are fully operational. 

• Ceiling: The room has a plaster ceiling, 

apparently original. 

• Baseboards: The original baseboards remain and are a composite design 7” in 

height. The original shoe molding also remains, measuring 1⁄2” in depth by 7⁄8” in 

height. 

• Finishes: The baseboard, shoe molding, 

window sash, window casing, door casing 

and shelving are painted. 

The walls have modern wallpaper. The date 

of installation is not known. The ceiling is 

painted. 

• Mechanical Systems: No elements of the 

mechanical system are present. 

• Electrical Systems: Wiring is concealed in 

the walls and ceiling. 

There are 110v outlets and a 220v outlet for 

a clothes dryer. 

• Plumbing Systems: Along the east wall are 

copper supply lines and a drain for a washing machine. 

• Other Features: Wood shelves were initially constructed across the north and south 

walls. The lowest two shelves of the north 

shelving have been removed, apparently to 

provide room for a washing machine. 

Room 106: The original enclosed porch is 

located in the northwest corner of the wing, 

and is now used as a breakfast room. The 

room measures 8’-6” x 9’-6” and has a 

floor-to-ceiling height of 8’-6”. 

• Flooring: The flooring material is modern 

sheet vinyl which continues from pantry to 

enclosed porch to kitchen. The date of installation is probably 1988 when the kitchen 

was remodeled. 

A sub-floor, visible from the basement, is 

made up of tongue-and-groove boards, 5 1⁄2” 

wide, laid diagonally. 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.C- Physical Description 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.C.21 

• Walls: The original plaster appears to remain. 

The original plans call for a wood picture 

molding in this room. The one that is present appears to be original, as it is found in 

the kitchen and back hall as well. 

• Doors: The doorway on the east wall is 

original, and was discussed in the previous 

room section. 

The doorway on the west wall is original. 

The architectural plans specify the framing 

of the opening for a door measuring 2’-6” x 

6’-8” x 1 3⁄8”, hinged on the south jamb. The 

door was to have opened into this enclosed 

porch. No door is present, but one leaf of 

both of the original, chrome-plated, 4” x 4,” 

five-knuckle, butt hinges remain on the 

south jamb as specified. 

The doorway on the north wall is original 

and it retains its original sash door. The 

door has six lights and a single panel raised 

on both interior and exterior sides. The door 

measures 2’-8” x 6’-8” x 1 3⁄4” and retains its 

original hardware of round door knobs, 

chrome-plated on the interior and brass on 

the exterior, and three chrome-plated, 4” x 

4”, five-knuckle, butt hinges. It also has a 

modern brass, “Best” brand deadbolt. 

The casing for all three doorways is original, 

and is the same as that found on the doors 

and windows of other ancillary rooms of the 

first floor. These rooms are the enclosed 

porch, kitchen, and back hall. The casing is 

made up of plank boards with rounded edges 

measuring 7⁄8” x 3 3⁄4” and constructed using 

mitered joints at the corners. Doorway casings of these rooms rest on plinths. 

• Windows: There are three original window 

openings and three transoms. 

One original window opening on the south 

wall retains its original six-over-nine light, 

Figure C-34 Room 106 facing northwest 

double-hung wood sash unit measuring 2’-

6” x 4’-8”. This window retains its original 

brass latch hardware and its cotton sash 

cords and wheels, which are fully operational. 

On the north wall is an original, composite 

arrangement of windows, doorway, and 

transoms. Two eight-light casement windows flank the doorway. Each window 

opening measures 1’-8” x 6’-8” and has its 

original eight light casement window with 

panel base. These two casement window 

sash retain their original chrome-plated 

hardware of latch, closer, and hinges. 

The three original fixed transoms are intact: 

one above the door and one above each of 

the two casement windows. The center transom has three lights arranged horizontally; 

the other two have two lights each in a horizontal grouping. 

The casing for the windows and transoms is 

original. It is the same as that found on the 

doors and windows of some ancillary rooms 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.C- Physical Description 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.C.22 

Figure C-35 Room 107 facing east 

of the first floor: the enclosed porch, 

kitchen, and back hall. The casing is made 

up of plank boards with rounded edges 

measuring 7⁄8” x 3 3⁄4” and constructed using 

mitered joints at the corners. 

• Ceiling: The room has a modern, acoustical ceiling tile, measuring 12” x 12” square, 

with a textured “wormwood” surface. It 

matches the tile ceiling of the kitchen. 

• Baseboards: The original baseboards remain and are a composite design 7” in 

height. The original shoe molding also remains; it measures 1⁄2” in depth by 7⁄8” in 

height. 

• Finishes: The baseboards, shoe molding, 

windows, window casings, door, door casings, and picture molding are painted. 

The walls have modern wallpaper. 

• Mechanical Systems: One modern, metal 

floor supply register measuring 6” x 12” is 

present. It is located along the south wall 

below the window. 

• Electrical Systems: Wiring is concealed in 

the walls and ceiling. 

The switch plates and outlets have modern 

composite plastic covers. 

The ceiling fixture at the center of the room 

is a modern light/fan combination. 

An original panel box remains on the east 

wall. 

• Plumbing Systems: No plumbing system 

elements are present. 

• Other Features: There is a section of 

modern, laminated countertop with wood 

cabinet base in the northwest corner of the 

room. The cabinet has two doors and no 

drawer. The date of installation is not 

known. 

A single, handheld fire extinguisher in this 

room sits atop the modern cabinet and does 

not have a mounting harness. 

Room 107: The kitchen is located in the 

northeast corner of the main house block. It 

was remodeled in 1957 and again in 1988, 

when many of the current built-in cabinets 

and appliances were installed. This room 

measures 13’-8” x 12’-5” with 8’-10” floorto-ceiling height. 

• Flooring: The flooring material is modern 

sheet vinyl, probably installed in 1988 during the last kitchen remodeling. The flooring continues from pantry to original enclosed porch to kitchen. 

A sub-floor, visible from the basement, is 

made up of tongue-and-groove boards, 5 1⁄2” 

wide, laid diagonally. 

• Walls: The original architectural plans 

specify “Keene’s Cement” (plaster) for the 

walls and ceiling. Presumably the wall plaster remains, although now covered with 

modern wallpaper. 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.C- Physical Description 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.C.23 

The original plans call for a wood picture 

molding for this room. The molding present 

appears to be the original and matches that 

in the enclosed porch and back hall as well. 

• Doors: The doorway on the east wall, 

connecting to the enclosed porch (Room 

106), is original. The architectural plans 

specify the framing of the opening for a door 

measuring 2’-6” x 6’-8” x 1 3⁄8”, hinged on 

the south jamb, opening into the enclosed 

porch. No door is present, but one leaf of 

both of the original, chrome-plated, 4” x 4,” 

five-knuckle, butt hinges remains on the 

south jamb as specified. 

The doorway on the south wall opening into 

the dining room (Room 103) is original and 

retains the original swing door and chromeplated hardware. This door measures 2’-8” 

x 6’-8” x 1 3⁄8” in a six-panel design. The 

panels are flush on both sides of the door. 

The wood threshold appears to be original. 

The original architectural plans also specify 

that the west wall doorway opening into the 

back hall be constructed for a door measuring 2’-8” x 6’-8” x 1 3⁄8” hinged on the south 

jamb. The original doorway remains intact 

but the door is missing. 

The plans also specify on the west wall a 

doorway with a narrow 2’-0” x 6’-8” x 1 3⁄8” 

door, hinged on the south jamb, connecting 

to the small broom closet. The doorway remains intact but the door is missing. Currently, there is a modern, two-leaf bi-fold 

door hinged to the south jamb. 

The casing for all four doorways is original 

and matches that found on the doors and 

windows of some ancillary rooms of the first 

floor: the enclosed porch, kitchen, and back 

hall. The casing is made up of plank boards 

with rounded edges measuring 7⁄8” x 3 3⁄4” 

and constructed using mitered joints at the 

corners. Doorway casings of these rooms 

rest on plinths. 

Figure C-36 Room 107 facing northwest 

• Windows: There are two original window 

openings, both on the north wall. 

Both retain their original six-over-nine light, 

double-hung wood sash units measuring 2’-

6” x 4’-8”. These are the same as those 

found on the doors and windows of other 

ancillary rooms of the first floor: the enclosed porch, kitchen, and back hall. The 

casing is made up of plank boards with 

rounded edges measuring 7⁄8” x 3 3⁄4” and 

constructed using mitered joints at the corners. 

Both windows retain their original brass 

latches. 

Both windows retain their cotton sash cords 

and wheels which are fully operational. 

• Ceiling: The original architectural plans 

specify “Keene’s Cement” (plaster) for the 

walls and ceiling. Presumably the plaster 

remains, although the ceiling is now covered 

with a modern acoustical tile, measuring 12” 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.C- Physical Description 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.C.24 

x 12” square, with a textured, “wormwood” 

surface. 

• Baseboards: The original baseboards remain and are a composite design 7” in 

height. The original shoe molding also remains, measuring 1⁄2” in depth by 7⁄8” in 

height. 

• Finishes: The baseboards, shoe molding, 

windows, window casings, door, door casings, and picture molding are painted. 

The shoe molding is varnished. 

The walls of the kitchen have modern wallpaper. 

The 1988-vintage cabinets are varnished. 

The walls, ceilings, baseboards, shoe molding, and shelving of the broom closet are 

painted. 

• Mechanical Systems: Two modern metal 

6” x 12” floor supply registers are present. 

One is located along the south wall, in front 

of a cabinet near the southwest corner. The 

other is located along the north wall cabinets 

near the northeast corner of the room. 

• Electrical Systems: Wiring is concealed in 

the walls and ceiling. 

The switch plate and outlet covers are modern, made of a composite plastic. 

The ceiling fixture at the center of the room 

is a modern light/fan combination installed 

at an unknown date. 

A 1988-vintage, countertop electric range 

with hood is fully operational and is located 

at the west end of the north counter. 

Paired 1988-vintage electric convection microwave ovens, fully operational, occupy 

built-in cabinets in the southeast corner of 

the room. 

A residential-style refrigerator, fully operational, is located in the southwest corner of 

the room. 

• Plumbing Systems: Copper supply pipes 

provide water to the 1988-vintage, stainless 

steel double sink located in the north wall 

countertop. 

• Other Features: There is a small broom 

closet measuring 2’-2” x 4’-8”, just beyond 

the row of north wall cabinets. It retains its 

original baseboards, shoe molding, trim and 

shelving, and all five shelves along its north 

wall. 

Residential, 1988-vintage wood kitchen 

cabinets with laminate countertops run along 

the north, south, and east walls and form the 

island in the center of the kitchen. 

The modern doorbell chime is located above 

the doorway to the dining room (Room 103). 

Room 108: The back hall measures 7’-7” x 

9’-5” and has a floor-to-ceiling height of 9’-

0”. 

• Flooring: The original flooring in place is 

2 1⁄4” wide, tongue-and-groove, varnished 

golden oak and is laid north-south. 

A sub-floor, though not visible from the 

basement, presumably consists of tongueand-groove boards, 5 1⁄2” wide, laid diagonally as is found elsewhere on the first floor. 

• Walls: The original plaster appears to remain on the walls. 

This utilitarian room has neither a cornice 

nor picture molding. 

• Doors: The original, 3’-4” wide cased 

opening of the south wall connects to the 

hall. 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.C- Physical Description 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.C.25 

A second original doorway on the south wall 

leads to a stair to the basement. This doorway is framed for a 2’-8” x 6’-8” x 1 3⁄8” 

hinged door. An original six-panel door, 

with flush panels on both sides, is hung on 

the east jamb as designed. The doorway retains its original brass hardware of 4” x 4” 

five-knuckle butt hinges, mortise lock, and 

oval doorknobs. It also has a modern brass, 

“Best” brand deadbolt. 

The doorway on the west wall connecting to 

the sewing room (Room 110) is framed for a 

2’-8” x 6’-8” x 1 3⁄8” hinged door, now missing. The original architectural plans specify 

that the door was to have been hung on 

hinges on the south jamb, opening into the 

sewing room. Dutchman repairs confirm the 

door once hung as designed. 

The doorway on the east wall connecting to 

the kitchen (Room 107) is framed for a 2’-8” 

x 6’-8” x 1 3⁄8” door, now missing. The 

original architectural plans specify that the 

door was to have been hung on hinges on 

the south jamb and opens into the back hall. 

Two leafs of two original, brass 4” fiveknuckle butt hinges remain to confirm that 

the door once hung as designed. 

The doorway on the north wall connects to 

the original coat closet, which was converted in 1988 to a half-bath (Room 110). 

The doorway is framed for a 2’-8” x 6’-8” x 

1 3⁄8” door. An original, six-panel door, with 

flush panels on both sides, is hinged on the 

east jamb and opens into the back hall. 

However, the original architectural plans 

specify that the door was to have been hung 

on hinges on the west jamb, opening into the 

coat closet. Dutchman repairs confirm that 

the door was once hung as designed. The 

door retains its two original brass, 4,” fiveknuckle, butt hinges and mortise lock with 

oval doorknobs. 

The casing of all five doorways is the same 

original composite design: 4 5⁄8” in width, 

Figure C-37 Room 108 facing east 

with edge bead, raised field and backband, 

resting on plinths. 

• Windows: There are no windows in this 

small, interior room. 

• Ceiling: The original plaster appears to 

remain. 

• Baseboards: The original baseboards remain and are a composite design 7” in 

height. The original shoe molding also remains, measuring 1⁄2” in depth by 7⁄8” in 

height. 

• Finishes: The flooring and baseboard shoe 

molding are varnished. 

The baseboards, doors, and door casings are 

painted. 

The walls and ceilings are painted. 

• Mechanical Systems: A modern metal 

floor return register is located at the door to 

the basement. The register measures 20” x 

20”. 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.C- Physical Description 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.C.26 

Figure C-38 Room 109 facing northeast 

The first-floor thermostat is located on the 

north wall. 

• Electrical Systems: Wiring is concealed in 

the walls and ceiling. 

The brass-plated switch plates are modern. 

The incandescent ceiling light fixture is 

probably original. 

• Plumbing Systems: No plumbing system 

elements are present. 

• Other Features: There are no other significant features in this room. 

Room 109: The original coat closet was 

converted to a half-bath in 1988. The room 

measures 4’-8” x 5’-2” with a floor-toceiling height of 8’-11 1⁄2”.

• Flooring: The flooring material is modern 

sheet vinyl probably installed in 1988. It is 

the same flooring that is found in the pantry, 

original enclosed porch, and kitchen. 

A sub-floor, though not visible from the 

basement, presumably consists of tongueand-groove boards, 5 1⁄2” wide, laid diagonally as is found elsewhere on the first floor. 

• Walls: The original plaster appears to remain. 

• Doors: The doorway on the south wall 

connects to the back hall (Room 108). The 

doorway is framed for a 2’-8” x 6’-8” x 1 

3⁄8” door. An original, six-panel door with 

flush panels on both sides is hinged on the 

east jamb and opens into the back hall. 

However, the architectural plans specify that 

the door was to have been hung on hinges 

on the west jamb and opens into this room, 

then the coat closet. Dutchman repairs confirm that the door was hung as designed at 

one time. The door retains two original 

brass, 4” x 4”, five-knuckle, butt hinges and 

its mortise lock with brass, oval doorknobs. 

. 

The casing for the doorway is original and, 

in design and construction, matches those 

found on the basement door and first-floor 

doors and windows of ancillary rooms: 7⁄8” x 

3 3⁄4” plank boards with rounded edges, and 

assembled using mitered joints at the corners. 

• Windows: There is one original window 

opening, located on the north wall. It retains 

its original, six-over-nine light double-hung 

wood sash unit measuring 2’-6” x 4’-8”. 

The window has its original casing. Its design and construction matches those found 

on the basement door and first-floor doors 

and windows of ancillary rooms: 7⁄8” x 3 3⁄4” 

plank boards with rounded edges, and assembled using mitered joints at the corners. 

The window retains its original brass 

latches. The window retains its cotton sash 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.C- Physical Description 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.C.27 

cords and wheels which are fully operational. 

• Ceiling: The original plaster appears to 

remain. 

• Baseboards: The original baseboards remain and are a composite design 7” in 

height. The original shoe molding also remains; it measures 1⁄2” in depth by 7⁄8” in 

height. 

• Finishes: The baseboards and shoe molding, window sash and window casing, and 

door and door casing are painted. 

The walls have modern wallpaper. 

The ceiling is painted. 

The 1988-vintage lavatory cabinet is 

painted. 

• Mechanical Systems: One modern metal 4” 

x 12” floor supply register is located near 

the west wall. 

• Electrical Systems: Wiring is concealed in 

the walls and ceiling. 

The plain brass-plated switch plate is modern, presumably installed during the remodeling of 1988. 

The ceiling light fixture at the center of the 

room is modern, presumably installed in 

1988. 

• Plumbing Systems: Copper supply pipes 

provide water to the toilet and the 1988-

vintage, synthetic-stone lavatory. 

• Other Features: There is a small residential lavatory cabinet, installed in 1988. 

Room 110: Originally the sewing room, this 

space is now used as the map file room. It is 

Figure C-39 Room 110 facing west 

located in the northwest corner of the main 

house block, and measures 13’-8” x 9’-5” 

with a floor-to-ceiling height of 8’-10 3⁄4”. 

• Flooring: The original flooring is 2 1⁄4” 

wide, tongue-and-groove, varnished golden 

oak and is laid north-south. 

A sub-floor, visible from the basement, is 

made up of tongue-and-groove boards, 5 1⁄2” 

wide, laid diagonally. 

• Walls: The original plaster presumably 

remains on the walls beneath the modern 

wallpaper and paper cornice. 

The original architectural plans call for a 

wood picture molding in this room. The one 

present appears to be a modern modification. 

• Doors: The doorway on the south wall 

connecting to the living room (Room 101) is 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.C- Physical Description 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.C.28 

framed for a 2’-8” x 6’-8” x 1 3⁄8” door, now 

missing. The original architectural plans 

specify that the door was to have been hung 

on hinges on the east jamb, and opens into 

the sewing room. Scars from missing hinges 

confirm the door was once hung as designed. The doorway on the east wall connecting to the back hall (Room 108) is 

framed for a 2’-8” x 6’-8” x 1 3⁄8” door, now 

missing. The original architectural plans 

specify that the door was to have been hung 

on hinges on the south jamb, opening into 

the sewing room. Scars from missing hinges 

confirm the door was once hung as designed. 

The original casing of both doorways is the 

same composite design: 4 5⁄8” in width, with 

edge bead, raised field, and backband, resting on plinths. 

• Windows: Two original window openings 

are in this room, one on the west wall and 

one on the north wall. Both retain their 

original, double-hung, wood sash units and 

original brass latches. 

The west wall window is an eight-overtwelve light unit measuring 3’-4” x 5’-8”. 

The north wall window is a six-over-nine 

light unit measuring 2’-8” x 5’-8”. 

The original casing of both window units is 

the same composite design: 4 5⁄8” in width, 

with edge bead, raised field and backband, 

set on composite apron. 

• Ceiling: A modern, acoustical ceiling tile 

matching that of the kitchen and enclosed 

porch is now present. It measures 12” x 12” 

and has a textured “wormwood” pattern. 

• Baseboards: The baseboards in this room 

appear to be original. Although 7” in height 

like others in the house, their design is more 

simplified. The original shoe molding also 

remains; it measures 1⁄2” in depth by 7⁄8” in 

height. 

• Finishes: The flooring and baseboard shoe 

moldings are varnished. 

The baseboard, windows, window casings, 

door casings, and picture molding are 

painted. 

The walls have a modern wallpaper and paper strip at the cornice. 

• Mechanical Systems: One modern metal 

6” x 12” floor supply register is present. It 

is located along the west wall slightly north 

of the window. 

• Electrical Systems: Wiring is concealed in 

the walls and ceiling. 

The modern switch plate is brass. The modern outlet covers are molded plastic. 

The ceiling fixture at the center of the room 

is a modern light/fan combination. The date 

of installation is not known. 

• Plumbing Systems: No plumbing system 

elements are present. 

• Other Features: There are no other significant features in this room. 

The Second Floor 

The rooms of this level are primarily located 

in the top half-story of the main block. 

There is also a single narrow, low-ceilinged 

room of the wing, originally unfinished attic 

space.

Many of the more sophisticated original architectural elements employed in the firstfloor public spaces are repeated in the second-floor private bedrooms, but none have 

all of the better details as found in the firstfloor public rooms. The abundance of natural lighting on the first floor is much reduced 

on the second floor by the smaller windows. 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.C- Physical Description 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.C.29 

Room 201: Bedroom #2 is located in the 

southwest corner of the main house block. 

The room measures 13’-8” x 12’-0” and has 

a floor-to-ceiling height of 8’-11 1⁄2”. There 

are two built-in closets along the south wall. 

• Flooring: The original wood flooring is 

presumed to be in place beneath the modern, 

residential-grade, sculptured wall-to-wall 

carpet. The original flooring is 2 1⁄4” wide, 

tongue-and-groove, varnished golden oak 

and laid north-south. 

The modern carpet is an addition of unknown date, likely 1980s. 

• Walls: The original plaster may remain on 

the walls, which are now covered with modern wallpaper. 

The wood picture molding appears to be 

original and was called for in the architectural plans. 

• Doors: The original doorway on the east 

wall is framed for a 2’-8” x 6’-8” x 1 3⁄8” 

door; its original six-panel door is in place, 

hinged on the north jamb to open into this 

room, as indicated on the architectural plans. 

The panels on both sides of the door are 

flush. 

Along the south wall are two doorways, 

each framed for a 2’-4” x 6’-0” door, opening into the room from a closet. The original doors are in place as designed, the west 

door hinged on west jamb and the east door 

hinged on the east jamb. Both retain their 

original brass hardware of two 4” x 4,” fiveknuckle, butt hinges and a mortise lock with 

oval doorknobs. 

The original casing of both doorways is the 

same composite design: 4 5⁄8” in width, with 

edge bead, raised field, and backband resting 

on a plinth. 

Figure C-40 Room 201 facing southwest

• Windows: There are two original windows in this room, one of which is in the 

gable-end wall, and the other, a dormer window. The dormer window is on the south 

wall and retains the original, six-over-nine 

light, double-hung sash unit measuring 

2’-4” x 4’-8”. 

The original casing of the dormer window is 

mostly covered by the framing for the flanking closets, leaving little more than an edge 

bead. The apron is a single board with a 1⁄2” 

cove trim below. 

The second original window on the west 

wall retains its six-over-six light, doublehung, sash measuring 2’-8” x 4’-6”. 

The casing for the west, gable-end window 

is the original. It is the composite design 

found on the primary rooms of the first 

floor: 4 5⁄8” in width, with edge bead, raised 

field and backband, set on composite apron. 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.C- Physical Description 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.C.30 

Figure C-41 Room 202 facing south 

Both windows retain their original brass 

latching mechanism. 

Both windows retain their cotton sash cords 

and wheels and are fully operational. 

• Ceiling: A modern, textured ceiling plaster is now present. 

• Baseboards: The original baseboards remain and are a composite design 7” in 

height. The original shoe molding is missing. 

• Finishes: The baseboards, windows, window casings, doors, door casings, and picture molding are painted. 

The walls are covered with a modern wallpaper. 

The interiors of the closets have painted 

walls, ceiling and trim. 

• Mechanical Systems: A modern metal 12” 

x 12” ceiling supply register is located over 

the west window. 

• Electrical Systems: Wiring is concealed in 

the walls and ceiling. 

The brass-plated switch plate is modern, as 

are the outlet covers, which are made of 

molded plastic. 

The ceiling fixture at the center of the room 

is a modern light/fan combination. 

• Plumbing Systems: No plumbing system 

elements are present. 

• Other Features: Two original built-in 

closets are along the south wall, one on either side of the roof dormer. 

Room 202: The second floor hall is centrally located in the main house block. It 

measures 7’ -7” x 16’-1” and has a floor-toceiling height of 9’-0”. 

• Flooring: The original flooring is 2 1⁄4” 

wide, tongue-and-groove, varnished golden 

oak and is laid north-south. 

 

• Walls: The original plaster appears to remain. 

The wood picture molding appears to be 

original as called for in the architectural 

plans. 

• Doors: The four original doorways in this 

room remain intact. A door on the west wall 

near the head of the stairs connects this 

room with bedroom #3 (Room 206). 

A second door on the west wall near the 

center of the hall connects to bedroom #1 

(Room 201). 

The doorway on the south wall connects 

with the bath (Room 203). 

The doorway on the east wall, at the head of 

the stairs, connects to bedroom #1 (Room 

204). 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.C- Physical Description 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.C.31 

All four doorways were framed for a 2’-8” x 

6’-8” x 1 3⁄8” door and retain their original 

six-panel doors, flush paneled on both sides, 

with original, brass hardware of two 4” fiveknuckle hinges and a mortise lock with oval 

doorknobs. 

The original casing of all four doorways is 

the same as found elsewhere in the primary 

rooms of the house, a composite design 4 5⁄8” 

in width, with edge bead, raised field, and 

backband on plinths. 

• Windows: There is one window in this 

room on the north wall, a dormer window, 

which retains its original six-over-nine light, 

double-hung sash unit measuring 2’-4” x 4’-

8”. It also retains its original brass sash 

latch. 

The casing of the dormer window is original, but mostly covered by the framing for 

the flanking closets, leaving little more than 

an edge bead. The apron is a single board 

with a 1⁄2” cove trim below. 

The window retains its original brass latching mechanism. The window also retains its 

cotton sash cords and wheels and is fully 

operational. 

• Ceiling: The original plaster appears to 

remain. 

The original plans call for a wood picture 

molding in this room. The one present appears to be the original. 

• Baseboards: The original baseboards remain and are a composite design 7” in 

height. The original shoe molding also remains; it measures 1⁄2” in depth by 1” in 

height. 

• Finishes: The flooring and baseboard shoe 

molding are varnished. The stair treads, 

newel post, balusters handrails, and pendant 

are varnished. 

Figure C-42 Dormer window on north wall 

of Room 202 

The stair risers and stringer are painted. 

The baseboards, windows, window casings, 

doors, door casings, and picture molding are 

painted. 

The walls and ceiling are painted. 

• Mechanical Systems: A modern metal 26” 

x 30” ceiling return register is located above 

the head of the stairs. The second-floor thermostat is located on the west wall near the 

head of the stairs. 

A modern chase north of the door to Room 

204 contains mechanical wiring and piping 

leading to the attic. 

• Electrical Systems: Wiring is concealed in 

the walls and baseboards. The switch plate 

and outlet covers are modern, and made of 

molded plastic. 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.C- Physical Description 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.C.32 

Figure C-43 Room 203 facing southwest 

A ceiling fixture near the center of the room 

is a brass lantern that appears to be of an 

early design. 

A battery-operated smoke detector is near 

the center of the room. 

• Plumbing Systems: No plumbing system 

elements are present. 

• Other Features: The staircase that connects the second floor with the first is located along the east wall of this room. The 

stairs measures 3’-2” in width. Painted 

wood stringer and risers offset the varnished, 9” deep, oak treads, and the stained 

and varnished balustrade: a simple turned 

newel post sits on a 3 7⁄8” square base for a 

total height of 3’-1 5⁄8”; the unadorned, rectangular balusters measuring 5⁄8” x 7⁄8” in 

section, are 2’-10” tall and placed 4 1⁄4” on 

center; and the handrail is a camelback design. 

A modern handrail of similar design, stained 

and varnished, is attached with metal brackets to the east wall. A pull-down attic stair is 

centrally located along the west wall. The 

hatch cover measures 1’-8” x 4’-4”. 

A modern closet is located in the southwest 

corner of the room, attached to the west 

wall. The closet is constructed of 3⁄4” plywood. It is 7’-0” tall by 4’-0” wide by 1’-1” 

deep. 

There is a single, handheld fire extinguisher 

in this room. It sits on the floor at the base 

of the dormer window. It does not have a 

mounting harness or an inspection tag. 

Room 203: The bathroom is located at the 

front of the house, at the south end of the 

hall and between bedroom #2 and bedroom 

#1. The room measures 7’-7” x 5’-0” and 

has a floor-to-ceiling height of 8’-10 3⁄4”. 

Flooring: The original architectural plans 

call for a tile floor. The current floor, reportedly dating from the late 1980s, is a 

modern ceramic tile of 2 1⁄4” x 2 1⁄4” intersected by a 3⁄4” x 3⁄4” tile at the corners. This 

floor is slightly raised suggesting that the 

original tile may remain below. A marble 

threshold is used at the door to the hall. 

• Walls: The 4’-0” tall wainscoting of 4 1⁄4” 

x 4 1⁄4” ceramic tiles indicated in the original 

architectural plans appears to remain. 

The original wall plaster above the wainscoting also appears to remain. The plaster 

was specified in the original drawings to 

have been “Keene’s Cement.” 

• Doors: The one doorway, on the north 

wall, connects to the hall (Room 202). An 

original doorway, it is framed for a 2’-8” x 

6’-8” x 1 3⁄8” door. An original, six-panel 

door, with flush panels on both sides, is 

hinged on the east jamb, opening into this 

room, as indicated on the original architectural plans. The door retains its original 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.C- Physical Description 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.C.33 

brass hardware including two original 4”, 

five-knuckle brass butt hinges and a mortise 

lock with oval doorknobs. 

The door casing is original, a composite design 4 5⁄8” in width, with edge bead, raised 

field, and backband on plinths, as is found 

elsewhere in the primary rooms of the 

house. 

• Windows: One original dormer window 

located on the north wall, retains its original, 

six-over-nine light, double-hung wood sash 

unit measuring 2’-4” x 4’-8”. 

The casing of this dormer window is the 

original, mostly covered by the framing of 

the dormer, leaving little more than an edge 

bead. The apron is a single board with a 1⁄2” 

cove trim below. 

The window retains its original brass latching mechanism. The window retains its cotton sash cords and wheels, and is fully operational. 

• Ceiling: The original plaster appears to 

remain. 

• Baseboards: The original ceramic tile 

base remains. 

• Finishes: The room’s door, door casing, 

window, sash and window casing are 

painted. 

The wall surfaces above the tile wainscoting 

are painted plaster. 

The modern lavatory cabinet is painted. 

• Mechanical Systems: One modern metal, 

6” x 14,” ceiling supply register is located 

above the door. 

• Electrical Systems: Wiring is concealed in 

the walls and ceiling. The switch plates and 

Figure C-44 Room 204 facing north 

outlet covers are modern and made of 

molded plastic. 

• Plumbing Systems: Copper supply pipes 

provide water to the original toilet and bathtub and a modern, synthetic-stone lavatory. 

The dates of installation of the modern lavatory is not known 

• Other Features: There is a small, modern 

residential lavatory cabinet, apparently installed with the modern lavatory. 

Room 204: The entire portion of the main 

house block east of the hall makes up bedroom #1. The room measures 13’-8” x 20’-

4” and has a floor-to-ceiling height of 8’-11 

1⁄2”. 

• Flooring: The original wood flooring is 

presumed to be in place beneath the modern 

sculptured, residential-grade, wall-to-wall 

carpet. The original flooring is 2 1⁄4” wide, 

tongue-and-groove, varnished golden oak 

and laid north-south. The carpet is a modern 

addition of unknown date. 

• Walls: The original plaster may remain on 

the walls, which are now covered with modern wallpaper. The wood picture molding 

appears to be original as called for in the 

architectural plans. 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.C- Physical Description 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.C.34 

Figure C-45 Room 204 facing south 

• Doors: The doorway on the west wall is 

original, framed for a 2’-8” x 6’-8” x 1 3⁄8” 

door. Its original six-panel door is in place, 

hinged on the north jamb to open into this 

room, as indicated on the original architectural plans. The panels on both sides of the 

door are flush. The original brass hardware 

remains: two 4” x 4,” five-knuckle, butt 

hinges and a mortise lock with oval doorknobs. 

Along the north wall are two doorways, each 

framed for a 2’-4” x 6’-0” door. The original 

doors are missing, but replaced with a pair 

of modern 3⁄4” thick, wood bi-fold doors. 

Dutchman repairs on the jambs confirm that 

the original doors were installed as designed, the west door hinged on west jamb 

and the east door hinged on the east jamb. 

The original doorway on the east wall is 

framed for a 2’-8” x 6’-4” x 1 3⁄8” door. Its 

original six-panel door is in place, hinged on 

the north jamb to open into this room, as indicated on the architectural plans. The panels on both sides of the door are flush. The 

original brass hardware remains: two brass, 

4,” five-knuckle butt hinges and a mortise 

lock with oval doorknobs. 

The casing of all four doorways is the same 

original composite design: 4 5⁄8” in width, 

with edge bead, raised field and backband, 

resting on a plinth. 

• Windows: There are three original windows in this room, two of which are dormer 

windows. 

One dormer window is on the north wall and 

retains the original, six-over-nine light, double-hung sash unit measuring 2’-4” x 4’-8”. 

The second dormer window is on the south 

wall and retains the original six-over-nine 

light, double-hung sash unit measuring 2’-4” 

x 4’-8”. 

The casing of the dormer window is the 

original, mostly covered by the framing for 

the flanking closets, leaving little more than 

an edge bead. The apron is a single board 

with a 1⁄2” cove trim below. 

The third original window is on the east, gable-end wall, and retains its original sixover-six light, double-hung sash measuring 

2’-8” x 3’-8”. 

The casing for the east, gable-end window is 

also original. It is the composite design 

found in the primary rooms of the first floor: 

4 5⁄8” in width, with edge bead, raised field 

and backband, set on composite apron. 

 

All three windows retain their original brass 

latching mechanism. 

All three windows retain their cotton sash 

cords and wheels, and are fully operational. 

• Ceiling: The original plaster appears to 

remain. 

• Baseboards: The original baseboards remain and are a composite design 7” in 

height. The original shoe molding is missing. 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.C- Physical Description 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.C.35 

• Finishes: The baseboards, windows, window casings, doors, door casings, and picture molding are painted. 

The walls are wallpapered. 

The ceiling is painted. 

The closet walls are wallpapered, and their 

ceilings are painted. 

The modern, attached cabinet is painted. 

• Mechanical Systems: There are three 

modern metal ceiling supply registers. 

One measuring 6” x 14” is located above the 

east doorway. 

Two, each measuring 12” x 12”, are located 

above the dormer windows of the north wall. 

• Electrical Systems: Wiring is concealed in 

the walls and ceiling. 

The switch plate and outlet covers are modern, and made of molded plastic. 

The ceiling fixture at the center of the room 

is a modern light/fan combination. The date 

of installation is not known. 

• Plumbing Systems: No plumbing system 

elements are present. 

• Other Features: There is a modern wood 

cabinet in the southeast corner of the room, 

attached to the west wall. The cabinet 

measures 6’-0” wide x 7’-0” tall by 2’-5” 

deep. 

A single, handheld fire extinguisher in this 

room sits on the floor of the west closet and 

does not have a mounting harness or an inspection tag. 

A small door in the side wall of the south 

dormer provides access to a small floored 

Figure C-46 Attic access door in south dormer

attic space between the dormer and the bathroom. 

Room 205: The attic above the wing is now 

finished space. The room measures 9’-0” x 

13’-0” and has a floor-to-ceiling height of 

7’-7.” The date of conversion is not known. 

• Flooring: The original architectural plans 

identify the flooring as pine. Presumably, 

this original wood flooring is in place beneath the modern, residential grade, wall-towall carpet. 

The carpet is a modern addition of unknown 

date. 

• Walls: The original architectural plans call 

for the stud knee walls to be “sheathed up 

3’-6” above fl. unfinished above.” Whatever the sheathing might have been, the 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.C- Physical Description 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.C.36 

Figure C-47 Room 205 facing east 

knee-wall studs and rafters are now sheathed 

with gypsum board; the original wall sheathing may remain in place on the knee walls. 

• Doors: The original doorway on the east 

wall framed for a 2’-8” x 6’-4” x 1 3⁄8” door. 

Its original six-panel door is in place, hinged 

on the north jamb to open into bedroom #1, 

as indicated on the architectural plans. The 

panels on both sides of the door are flush. 

The original brass hardware remains: two 

4”x 4”, five-knuckle butt hinges and a mortise lock with oval doorknobs. 

• Windows: There is one original window in 

this room, on the east, gable-end wall. It 

retains its original six-over-six light, doublehung sash measuring 2’-4” x 3’-8”. The casing for the east gable-end window is the 

original. The window retains its original 

brass latching mechanism. 

The window retains its cotton sash cords and 

wheels, and is fully operational. 

• Ceiling: The open underside of the sloping roof rafters originally defined the ceiling. Those rafters are now sheathed in gypsum board. 

• Baseboards: There are no baseboards in 

this room. 

• Finishes: The room’s door, door casing, 

window, and window casing are painted. 

The gypsum board on the knee walls and 

undersides of the rafters is painted. 

• Mechanical Systems: No elements of the 

mechanical system are in this room. 

• Electrical Systems: Wiring is partially 

concealed in the walls and ceiling. Along 

the west wall is exposed metal conduit and 

switchbox. 

The switch plate and outlet covers are modern and made of molded plastic. 

The ceiling fixture at the center of the room 

is modern. 

• Plumbing Systems: No plumbing system 

elements are present. 

• Other Features: There are no other significant features in this room.

Room 206: Bedroom #3 is located in the 

northwest corner of the main house block. 

This room measures 13’-8” x 7’-11” and has 

a floor-to-ceiling height of 9’-0”. 

• Flooring: The original wood flooring is 

presumed to be in place beneath the modern 

sculptured, residential-grade, wall-to-wall 

carpet. The original flooring is 2 1⁄4” wide, 

tongue-and-groove, varnished golden oak 

and laid north-south. 

The carpet is a modern addition of unknown 

date. 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.C- Physical Description 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.C.37 

• Walls: The original plaster apparently remains. 

The wood picture molding appears to be 

original as called for in the architectural 

plans. 

• Doors: The original doorway on the east 

wall is framed for a 2’-8” x 6’-8” x 1 3⁄8” 

door. Its original six-panel door is in place, 

hinged on the south jamb to open into this 

room, as indicated on the architectural plans. 

The panels on both sides of the door are 

flush. The original brass hardware remains: 

two brass, 4”, five-knuckle butt hinges and a 

mortise lock with oval doorknobs. 

The casing of the doorways is the original, 

composite design: 4 5⁄8” in width, with edge 

bead, raised field, and backband resting on a 

plinth. 

• Windows: There are two original windows 

in this room. 

One is a dormer window on the north wall 

and retains its original six-over-nine light, 

double-hung sash unit measuring 2’-4” x 4’-

8”. 

The casing of the dormer window is the 

original, mostly covered by the framing for 

the flanking closets, leaving little more than 

an edge bead. The apron is a single board 

with a 1⁄2” cove trim below. 

The second original window is on the west, 

gable-end wall and retains its original, sixover-six light, double-hung sash measuring 

2’-8” x 4’-6”. 

The casing for the west, gable-end window 

is the original. It is the composite design 

found on the primary rooms of the first 

floor, 4 5⁄8” in width, with edge bead, raised 

Figure C-48 Room 206 facing east 

field and backband, set on composite apron 

and no chair rail. 

 

Both windows retain their original brass 

latching mechanism. 

Both windows retain their cotton sash cords 

and wheels and are fully operational. 

• Ceiling: The original plaster appears to 

remain. 

• Baseboards: The original baseboards remain, apparently in their original locations. 

They are the composite design, 7” in height, 

found throughout the house in the primary 

rooms. The original shoe molding is missing. 

• Finishes: The baseboards, door, door 

casing, windows, window casings, and picture molding are painted. 

The walls are painted. 

The ceiling has a modern textured ceiling 

plaster. 

The modern attached cabinet is painted. 

• Mechanical Systems: One modern metal 

12” x 12” ceiling supply register is located 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.C- Physical Description 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.C.38 

above the window in the west wall. 

• Electrical Systems: Wiring is concealed in 

the walls and ceiling. The switch plates and 

outlet covers are modern and made of 

molded plastic. 

The ceiling fixture at the center of the room 

is a modern light/fan combination. The date 

of installation is not known. 

• Plumbing Systems: No plumbing system 

elements are present. 

• Other Features: There is a modern wood 

cabinet in the northeast corner of the room, 

attached to the east wall. The cabinet measures 5’-0” wide x 7’-0” tall by 2’-1” deep. It 

has a modern flush door, also called a slab 

door, which measures 2’-6” x 6’-8”. 

There is a small ceiling hatch just inside the 

doorway. The hatch is not on the original 

architectural plans, and the date of its installation is not known. 

Utility Systems 

According to the original architectural plans, 

the house has had electrical service since its 

initial construction. Electrical power entered 

the northwest corner of the basement by 

metal conduit to a pull box. The distribution 

board was attached to the north wall of 

Room 002, where the current panel box is 

located. At an unknown date, 220v power 

was added for a clothes dryer in the laundry 

room, formerly the pantry. Electrical power 

now enters the building underground on the 

north side, and the meter indicates 240v service. The electrical panel is rated for 200 

amps, suitable for residential or small library 

usage. The panel itself appears to be relatively new, and was likely installed during 

the 1993 HVAC upgrade. The panel and 

wiring appear to be in good condition and 

there were no reports of problems. 

The architectural plans also indicate that 

heating was provided by steam radiators 

placed throughout the first and second floor 

levels of the main house block. An oil 

burner along the east wall of Room 002 of 

the basement provided the heat. The oil 

storage tank was located to the west of the 

house. 

 

It is not known when this heating system 

was removed; it may have been in 1983 during the first recorded HVAC upgrade. The 

current heating and air conditioning is supplied by two electric heat pumps. The house 

is divided into two zones; one is the first 

floor of the main block and the other is the 

second floor. Both heat pumps are Lennox 

model HP26-311-1P, and each has approximately 2 1⁄2” tons of capacity and single 

phase power. According to the serial numbers, both units were manufactured in September of 1993. 

Then as now, the house utilized city services 

for its water supply and waste disposal. 

Both connections are along the north wall of 

the house near the northwest corner of 

Room 001. 

A coal-fired water heater initially serviced 

the house. This water heater was located 

just north of the oil burner. When this system was removed is not known. Today, a 

52-gallon, 240v electric water heater, located in the same area of the basement, provides the hot water. The unit was manufactured by State Water Heater Industries, Inc. 

in 1988, and is model number 

PV522RS2NC. 

The plumbing for the half-bath is visible in 

the kitchen’s broom closet; it exhibits copper supply lines and galvanized waste lines. 

The kitchen sink has copper supply lines and 

PVC waste lines. Galvanized supply lines 

are visible in the attic adjacent to the second 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part I.C- Physical Description 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page I.C.39 

floor bath. Other than occasional leaks, both 

supply and waste lines appear to be in sound 

condition.

Summary of Conditions

Thoughtful design, high quality building 

materials, and careful construction are apparent in the original building. In addition, maintenance appears to have been 

regularly performed. As a result, the house 

is in very good condition, with minor exceptions. 

Although park personnel report the heating/cooling system continues to function 

well, the heat pumps are close to the end of 

their projected life expectancy. Replacement in the next five years is likely. Similarly, the hot water supply is reportedly 

without problem. However, given its advanced age, operation of the hot water heater 

should be monitored closely. 

The most obvious deterioration is on the exterior. A number of the window shutters are 

in poor condition, with rot allowed to go unchecked for some time. 

SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part II.A- Introduction 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page II.A.1 

PART II: TREATMENT & USE 

A. INTRODUCTION

The Battle of Guilford Court House occurred on March 15, 1781, pitting Major 

General Nathanael Greene’s continental 

troops and militia against General Lord 

Charles, Earl Cornwallis and the British 

army. Though Cornwallis won the battle, 

the heavy losses incurred by the royals 

caused them ultimately to lose the war and 

surrender at Yorktown that October. 

The backcountry hamlet of Guilford Court 

House was soon after renamed Martinville, 

for land speculator and North Carolina governor, Alexander Martin. After the relocation of the county seat to Greensboro in 

1808, Martinville became deserted and the 

battlefield location largely forgotten. 

Through the efforts of amateur historian 

Judge David Schenck of Greensboro, interest in the battlefield began to rise. Schenck 

purchased fifty acres of battlefield land and 

founded the Guilford Battle Ground Company in 1887 as a non-profit association to 

continue the effort. By 1904, 112 acres of 

land had been acquired and were operated as 

Guilford Battle Ground Park. Monuments 

to local Revolutionary War heroes were 

constructed, and the landscape “beautified” 

into a park-like setting. A keeper’s lodge, 

cottage, speaker’s stand, two spring-houses, 

a museum building, and restaurant were 

constructed by the Guilford Battle Ground 

Company for the enjoyment of visitors. 

Efforts to establish the park as a National 

Military Park came to fruition in 1917, and 

the re-christened Guilford Courthouse National Military Park became the first Revolutionary War site to be named a national 

park. Administered under the National Military Park Commission of the War Department and limited by a small annual budget, 

the park’s buildings and roads began to deteriorate. 

The National Park Service assumed administration of all national military parks in 

1933. That same year, as part of Roosevelt’s New Deal, Public Works Administration appropriations funneled $97,000 for 

improvements at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park. 

Handsome Colonial Revival style buildings 

were designed for the park by the National 

Park Service’s Eastern Division Branch of 

Plans and Design. The largest of these, the 

one-and-one-half-story Flemish-bond brick 

Administration Building, contained the 

park’s museum, library, and administrative 

offices. The Superintendent’s Residence 

was smaller in scale though with a similar 

appearance, having dormer windows in the 

upper story and a weatherboarded side wing. 

A Utility Building and Inflammable Storage 

Building were also constructed. Greensboro 

contractor George W. Kane built all four 

structures for $56,002.90, paying local laborers in accordance with PWA requirements. Work was completed in May 1935. 

Park Superintendents occupied the residence 

until 2002. Over the years, the kitchen was 

remodeled, the first-floor coat closet converted to a half bath, light fixtures changed, 

carpet added in several rooms, and HVAC 

systems upgraded, all to keep up with the 

changing requirements of a modern residence. Despite these changes, the character 

of the charming Superintendent’s Residence 

remains largely intact, along with much of 

its original building fabric. 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part II.A Introduction 

 2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page II.A.2 

Because the park is a National Historic 

Landmark whose importance derives from 

the 1781 Revolutionary War battle, planning 

at Guilford Courthouse National Military 

Park focuses on restoring the battlefield 

landscape. The 1934 Superintendent’s 

Residence is listed in the amended National 

Register nomination (1996) as a contributing 

structure, along with the Utility Building 

and Inflammable Storage Building. The inclusion of the residence in long-range park 

planning can preserve a well-built artifact 

from the earliest era of the National Park 

Service administration as well as a fine example of the successful programs of the 

New Deal. 

As the park ceases to provide on-site residential housing, park management is seeking 

a new use for the Superintendent’s Residence. It has been proposed that the building be adapted to provide much-needed 

space for the park library, map collection, 

and meeting rooms for the park’s friends 

organization. This proposed new use helps 

further the mission stated in the park’s enabling legislation, namely to “preserve for 

historical and professional military study 

one of the most memorable battles of the 

Revolutionary War.” Such activities are envisioned to be conducted in conjunction with 

nearby Tannenbaum Historic Park. 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part II.B Ultimate Treatment and Use 

 2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page II.B.1 

B. ULTIMATE TREATMENT AND USE 

The construction of the Superintendent’s 

Residence at Guilford Courthouse National 

Military Park in 1934, along with the similar 

Administration Building and associated service buildings, was the result of a New Deal 

appropriation coinciding with the beginning 

of National Park Service administration at 

the park. 

Figure B-1 Southeast oblique of residence, undated 

but assumed c. 1935 

(Guilford Courthouse NMP files, Box 1) 

The style chosen for the buildings, the Colonial Revival style, was both popular in the 

early twentieth century and thought to reflect the time period of the battle, though the 

buildings more closely mirrored the structures found in the nearby historic Moravian 

town of Salem than the log buildings likely 

standing near the battle site. 

The Superintendent’s Residence is a tangible artifact demonstrating the design aesthetic and administrative approach of the 

National Park Service during the 1930s. 

The residence retains a large amount of 

building material from the initial 1930s construction. The scale of the spaces inside corresponds well to the functions desired by the 

park. Considering these circumstances, the 

following recommendation is made. 

The Recommended Ultimate Treatment 

includes the rehabilitation of the interior 

and exterior of the residence, retaining as 

much as practical the many original 1934-

era design characteristics. 

This approach would have the following advantages: 

• Preserves character-defining interior and

exterior elements of the building’s period of greatest significance; 

• Preserves character-defining elements of 

the most important public interior spaces 

of the building’s period of greatest significance; 

• Avoids impacting the more significant 

character-defining elements by concentrating the physical modifications of rehabilitation in the secondary spaces of 

the interior to house management and 

support activities (offices, handicappedaccessible public restrooms, storage); 

• By preserving the more significant elements and limiting rehabilitation modifications in the areas of less significant 

elements, this approach allows the opportunity to provide a degree of public 

interpretation of the earliest era of National Park Service administration at 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, while satisfying the current space needs of the park. 

• Proposed modifications do not preclude 

a later return to its original use as a residence. 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part II.B Ultimate Treatment and Use 

 2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page II.B.2 

There would be disadvantages to this approach as well: 

• Precludes the use of the building as a 

park guest or staff residence. 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part II.C Requirements for Treatment and Use 

 2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page II.C.1 

C. REQUIREMENTS FOR TREATMENT 

The Superintendent’s Residence is not discussed in the park’s General Management 

Plan of 1997, which focuses instead on restoring the landscape of the battlefield. 

The National Park Service Cultural Resources Management Guideline (DO – 28) 

requires planning for the protection of cultural resources on park property. 

In addition, Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) mandates 

that federal agencies, including the National 

Park Service, take into account the effects of 

their actions on properties listed or eligible 

for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and give the Advisory Council 

on Historic Preservation a reasonable opportunity to comment. 

Treatment of the building and site are to be 

guided by The Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Historic Preservation Projects, the 

Americans with Disability Act, and the International Building Code. Threats to public 

life, safety and welfare are to be addressed;

however, because this is an historic building, 

alternatives to full legislative and code compliance are recommended where compliance 

would needlessly compromise the integrity 

of the historic building. 

 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part II.C Requirements for Treatment 

 2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page II.C.2 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part II.D Alternatives for Treatment 

 2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page II.D.1 

D. ALTERNATIVES FOR TREATMENT 

In addition to the Ultimate Treatment discussed in Section II.B above, two other alternatives are discussed below. 

Alternative #1: Restore the exterior and 

interior of the building to its 1930s appearance, for continued use as a residence, either for park personnel or for 

guests. 

This approach would have the following advantages: 

• Preserves and restores character-defining 

exterior elements of the period of greatest significance; 

• Readily presents to the public an exterior 

preserved and restored to the period of 

greatest significance for constant viewing by the public; 

• Preserves and restores character-defining 

interior elements of the period of greatest significance; 

• Provides options for at least occasional 

public viewing of the interior preserved 

and restored to the period of greatest 

significance. 

• Provides housing for use by the park as a 

guest residence or staff residence. 

This approach would have the following 

disadvantages as well: 

• By remaining a private building, minimizes the opportunity to interpret the 

earliest era of National Park Service ad- 

 ministration at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park; 

• Does not respond to the current needs of 

the park; 

• Requires another approach to obtain 

needed space for a library and staff offices, such as a new, separate modern 

building or an addition to the existing 

visitor’s center. 

Alternative #2: Rehabilitate the exterior 

and interior of the building, for continued 

use as a residence, either for park personnel or for guests. 

This approach would have the following advantages: 

• Allows retention or modernization of 

features added later, such as the side 

porch enclosure and kitchen. Retention 

means cost savings in both unneeded 

demolition cost and less construction/maintenance; 

• Provides housing suited to modern needs 

for use by the park as a guest residence 

or staff residence. 

This approach would have the following 

disadvantages as well: 

• Does not respond to the current needs of 

the park; 

• Requires another approach to obtain 

needed space for a library and staff offices, such as a new, separate modern 

building or an addition to the existing 

visitor’s center. 

SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part II.E Recommendations 

 2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page II.E.1 

E. RECOMMENDATIONS 

 

The recommended treatment for the Superintendent’s Residence is a rehabilitation of 

the interior and exterior that preserves the 

original 1934-era materials and features as 

much as is practical, especially the more 

significant characteristics. By focusing 

physical modifications in the secondary 

spaces where the less significant characteristics are located, this approach preserves the 

more significant parts of the building, which 

are also the most visible, ensuring that the 

era of earliest Park Service administration 

represented by the residence can be appreciated by the public. The rehabilitation of the 

more private interior spaces provides important ancillary spaces for the administration 

of the park. 

Conversion of the residence to a public research library with reading and meeting 

rooms may require structural modification, 

depending on the amount and location of the 

added library material and equipment. 

However, as indicated by the attached structural analysis, a strengthening of the loading 

capacity is not difficult or expensive to 

achieve. 

The greater challenge in such a conversion 

is providing for access by the handicapped. 

A wheelchair lift set below-grade on the exterior of the house could unobtrusively provide access to the first floor, possibly 

through the re-opened porch on the side 

wing. Minor modifications to some doorways, such as the removal of door stops to 

increase the width of the opening and the 

addition of a shallow ramp to traverse a 

small change in elevation, could allow a 

wheelchair to travel to most first-floor 

rooms. 

The creation of a first floor unisex restroom 

that fully meets the recommended standards 

of wheelchair accessibility could be accomplished by increasing the width of the existing half bath to accommodate a 5’ wheelchair turning radius. Incorporating the space 

of the broom closet into the accessible restroom could provide additional space in the 

restroom. If a larger restroom or separate 

restrooms for men and women are desired, 

the kitchen or sewing room could be subdivided. 

The existing restroom on the second floor 

could be retained as is to serve the needs of 

staff and other non-public users on that 

level, and provide the option for future return to the building’s original use as a residence. 

Addition of a wheelchair lift to provide access to the second floor is not required by 

current standards. The ADA accessibility 

guidelines state the following in section Part 

4.1.6.1.k.i : 

These guidelines do not require the installation 

of an elevator in an altered facility that is less 

than three stories or has less than 3,000 square 

feet per story unless the building is a shopping 

center, a shopping mall, the professional office 

of a health care provider, or another type of facility as determined by the Attorney General. 

If access to the second floor is desired, an 

inexpensive, reversible system such as a 

chair lift along the stair would be appropriate. 

Operation of the mechanical, electrical, and 

plumbing systems should be monitored. 

Installation of a fire suppression system 

should be considered. Station 6 of the 

Greensboro Fire Department is 1.1 miles 

northeast of the residence, at 4504 Lake 

Brandt Road. Hydrant number 124-005 is 

approximately 300 feet away, just south of 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part II.E Recommendations 

 2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page II.E.2 

the Old Battleground Road and New Garden 

Road intersection. The Greensboro Fire 

Department has a Class 1 fire insurance rating, indicating exemplary public protection.5

 

However, use as a library would include 

valuable papers and publications, so installation of a fire suppression system may be desirable. 

Specific Recommendations 

To achieve the recommended Ultimate 

Treatment the following actions should be 

taken: 

• When performing maintenance or making repairs, employ techniques that preserve the evidence of earlier paint, wallpaper and other finishes. 

• Repair, repaint, and reinstall exterior 

shutters; 

• Consider the potential impact to the cultural landscape of installing a wheelchair 

lift adjoining the side porch. Such modifications might include enlarged or additional parking, and additional walkways. 

If the impact is acceptable, remove modern porch enclosure at wing. Reopen 

original 1930s porch to accommodate 

new wheelchair lift; 

• Install below-grade wheelchair lift at 

reopened porch; 

• Modify trim of door from porch to dining room to provide 32” minimum clear 

width for wheelchair accessibility; 

• Remove modern ceiling tiles in first 

floor rooms. Re-expose and repair

original plaster ceiling; 

 

5

 Leslie Lippa, Executive Assistant to the Fire Chief, 

Greensboro Fire Department 

• Reinstall missing doors with originals if 

located, or install new matching doors; 

• Retain early lighting fixtures. Install 

more stylistically compatible reproduction lighting fixtures where poorly 

matching reproductions now exist. If 

supplemental lighting is needed in reading rooms, consider stylistically compatible task lighting fixtures or modern 

fixtures;

• Remove carpet in dining room. Reexpose original wood floor to facilitate 

wheelchair accessibility; 

• Assess loading of final library design. 

Install structural modifications in crawl 

space if required. 

As stated in the attached structural report 

by engineer David C. Fischetti, P.E., if 

library shelving is supported primarily 

by the floor framing at the perimeter, no 

structural reinforcing is required where 

the joists run perpendicular to the wall 

with the shelves. Where the floor joists 

are parallel to the wall with the shelves, 

then the first two joists will have to be 

reinforced. 

If shelving is to be used near the center 

of rooms, assess final design to determine if additional reinforcement is necessary; 

• Install handicapped-accessible restroom 

on first floor, in widened half 

bath/broom closet. Reuse original trim 

now on the half-bath; 

• Rehabilitate the kitchen, sewing room, 

pantry, and second-floor bedrooms for 

staff offices and other ancillary spaces; 

• Consider the installation of a fire suppression system. Traditional dry pipe 

and wet pipe water suppression systems 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part II.E Recommendations 

 2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page II.E.3 

tend to be the most reliable and least expensive to install. They are relatively 

safe for the occupants. Both types of systems can leak. Although only activated 

sprinkler heads produce water in a fire 

and do cut off as the fire is extinguished, 

over-wetting can occur. Given the relatively small total area for protection, the 

cost for the more expensive water mist 

and dry chemical systems, such as Ener- 

 gen and FM 200, may be negligible; 

both systems are potentially less damaging to valuable manuscripts though the 

dry chemical systems may have health 

implications for the occupants. Because 

of the likely diverse capabilities and 

physical conditions of the occupants, the 

water mist system may be the most desirable though the most expensive. 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Part II.E Recommendations 

 2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page II.E.4 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC References 

 2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page R 

REFERENCES 

“$97,000 Fund Set Aside to Improve the 

 Battleground.” Greensboro News 

 Record, 13 October 1933. 

“Preliminary Work is Begun on Battle- 

 ground Buildings.” Greensboro 

 News-Record, 1934. 

“Program at Battleground is to Start in Next 

 Few Days.” Greensboro News 

 Record, 15 March 1934. 

“Guilford Battleground now has Three New 

 Structures.” Greensboro News 

 Record, 5 May 1935. 

Arnett, Ethel Stephens. Greensboro, North 

 Carolina: The County Seat of Guil- 

 ford. Chapel Hill: University of 

 North Carolina Press, 1955. 

Baker, Thomas E. Redeemed From Obli- 

 vion: An Administrative History of 

 Guilford Courthouse National Mil- 

 itary Park. National Park Service, 

 1995. 

______. Guilford Courthouse National 

 Military Park: Superintendent’s 

 Residence, Utility Building, and 

 Inflammable Storage Building. 

 Unpublished manuscript. 

Caruther, Rev. Eli. Interesting Revolution- 

 ary Incidents: And Sketches of Char- 

 acter, Chiefly in the Old North State. 

 Philadelphia: 1856. 

Construction reports and correspondence in 

 the files of Guilford Courthouse 

 NMP. 

Guilford Battle Ground Company. A 

 Memorial Volume of the Guilford 

 Battle Ground Company, Organized 

 May 6, 1887, at Greensboro, N.C. 

 Reece & Elam, Printers, 1893. 

Hiatt, John. Guilford Courthouse National 

 ilitary Park Cultural Landscape 

 Report. National Park Service, 2003. 

_______. Guilford Court House Battlefield 

 National Historic Landmark Nom- 

 ination. National Park Service, 

 1999. 

Tolson, Hilary A. Historic Listing of 

 National Park Service Officials. 

 National Park Service, 1964; updated 

 by Harold P. Danz in 1991. 

Records on file at Guilford Courthouse 

NMP: 

Box 1, Construction Report 

Box 5, Superintendent’s Reports 

Box 7, Fixed Property Record Data 

Box 8, Weekly Construction Reports and 

 Project Correspondence 

Map Files, Original Blueprints 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC References 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • R-2 
SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Appendix A 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page A-1 

APPENDIX A 

1934: Original Drawings 

1. Site Plan 

2. Floor Plans and Fireplace Details 

3. Elevations and Transverse Section 

4. Entrance and Exterior Wall Details 

5. Mechanical Details and Plan 

6. Full Size Details 

7. Full Size Details of Kitchen Porch Door 

8. Full Size Details of Windows 

9. Full Size Details of Arches over Windows 

10. Full Size Details of Cornices 

11. Mantel, Door, Cabinet, and Shutter Details 

 













SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Appendix B 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page B-1 

APPENDIX B 

1934: Original Specifications 

 



































































































































SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Appendix C 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page C-1 

APPENDIX C 

2006: As-found Drawings 

1. Basement Floor Plan 

2. First Floor Plan 

3. Second Floor Plan 

4. Baseboard Profiles 

5. Door and Window Casing Details 

6. Secondary Door and Window Casings 

7. Window Stool/Apron Elevations 

8. Window Stool/Apron Elevations 

9. Picture/Crown Molding Profiles 

10. Door Panel Profiles 

11. Window Muntin Profile 













SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Appendix D 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page D-1 

APPENDIX D 

Recommended Ultimate Treatment 

1. First Floor Plan 



SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIDENCE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Guilford Courthouse NMP, Greensboro, NC Appendix E 

2006 • JOSEPH K. OPPERMANN – ARCHITECT, P.A. • Page E-1 

APPENDIX E 

Structural Assessment 





As the nation’s principal conservation agency,

the Department of the Interior has

responsibility for most of our nationally owned

public lands and natural resources. This

includes fostering sound use of our land and

water resources; protecting our fish, wildlife,

and biological diversity; preserving the

environmental and cultural values of our

national parks and historical places; and

providing for the enjoyment of life through

outdoor recreation. The department assesses

our energy and mineral resources and works to

ensure that their development is in the best

interests of all our people by encouraging

stewardship and citizen participation in their

care. The department also has a major

responsibility for American Indian reservation

communities and for people who live in island

territories under U.S. administration.

NPS D-41 January 2007