North Main Home Wins a Preservation Award!

Congratulations to our NOMA neighbors!  Historic Salisbury Foundation will award Glen and Julie Upp one of several Private Preservation Awards for rehabilitation of the J.C. Cress House at 928 N. Main Street at the upcoming Preservation Awards Ceremony!

Historic Salisbury Foundation will honor the past year’s best historic preservation success stories at its 2015 Preservation Awards Ceremony. The event will be held May 28 at the Salisbury Station, 215 Depot Street with a reception beginning at 6:30 p.m., followed by the awards presentation.

Reservations are $20 per person and may be purchased at www.historicsalisbury.org, or by calling 704-636-0103 by May 22.

Award categories include:

• Commercial Revitalization through Historic Preservation 
• Private Preservation and Neighborhood Revitalization 
• Longtime Preservation Leader 
• Preservation Craftsmen and Professionals 
• Volunteers of the Year 
• President’s Award 

The J. C. Cress House at 928 N. Main St. is classified as a 'Contributing' property in the North Main National Register of Historic Places Inventory. There are four categories: Pivotal; Contributing; Intrusion; and Fill.

Built about 1912 by J. C. Cress, who also occupied 108 W. Steel Street, 928 N. Main Street was occupied by Cress into the 1940s. Sitting on a slightly raised lot, this home demonstrates the transition from the late Victorian to Colonial Revival domestic architecture which characterized the North Main district at the time. Although strongly Victorian in its asymmetrical composition, its projecting front gable, and its turned post porch with interesting carved gallery, its boxlike shape and high hip roof with projecting attic dormer are reminiscent of the large unadorned four squares influenced by the Colonial Revival, which were being constructed along N. Main Street.

For many years, the concrete block wall that ran down both sides of the property line at 928 N Main plagued the neighborhood. Previous owners began, bit by bit, to remove the wall, rumored to have been installed as a 'hate-wall' by a previous neighbor. The Upps have removed a much of the front portion of this wall in addition to many other restoration projects for this home.

The J. C. Cress house neighbors the circa 1911 C. W. Isenhour house at 926 N. Main Street, a 'Pivotal' property which was one of NOMA's first brick homes, this unique dwelling demonstrates the transition from late Victorian to more formal and restrained Colonial Revival architecture. The Insenhour house, or the 'Octagon House' as it is fondly referred to by NOMA neighbors, home is most noted for its its steep side gable roof and dominating octagonal central tower with tall tent roof. It was built about 1911 by C. W. Isenhour, part owner of Isenhour's Brick Yard in nearby Spencer. By the 1930s it was broken up into apartments. Current owners began a massive restoration project, which is again on hold, and the home is listed for sale 'as-is' for $69,900.

Glen and Julie Upp are officers in the newly reformed North Main neighborhood association, known as NOMA in recent years but once again called the Old North Salisbury Association. Glen holds the president's position and Julie is association secretary.  Other ONSA officers are Jeanette Vargas/Vice President, and Cherie Turner/Treasurer.

The ONSA Board of Directors are:

• Mike Pryor 
• LaDonna Mills 
• Jacqueline Millican 
• Michael Crabb 
• Robert Crum 
• Jenni Pfaff 
• Jeff Cannon 
• Kelly Cannon 
• Max Vargas 

Please join us in celebrating another star home and restoration in the North Main neighborhood!  Go NOMA~~!!!

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