Preservation Chapel Hill

06/25/2026

On display at the Horace William House home of Preservation Chapel Hill

06/23/2026

06/20/2026

2026 July 4th Celebration of America’s 250th Birthday!

Dear Friends and Supporters,

As we approach the 4th of July, we are excited to invite you to join us for a special celebration hosted by Preservation Chapel Hill. This festive event is an opportunity to come together as a community, celebrate our nation's independence, and support the ongoing preservation of Chapel Hill's rich heritage.

Event Details:

Date: Saturday, July 4th
Time: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM (music begins at 1:30 PM)
Location: Horace Williams House, 610 E Rosemary St, Chapel Hill, NC

What to Expect:

Live music from The Village Band
Water, lemonade, and ice cream
Fun for children and adults alike

This event is open to everyone, and we encourage you to bring your family and friends. Admission is free, but donations are welcome and greatly appreciated. Your contributions will support our mission to preserve and protect the historic buildings and neighborhoods of Chapel Hill.

We look forward to celebrating with you and making this 4th of July a memorable occasion for all. Thank you for your continued support of Preservation Chapel Hill.

Note: The celebration will be canceled in the event of rai

06/19/2026

Coker Hills Listed on the National Register

Chapel Hill’s Coker Hills Neighborhood has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the US Department of the Interior. Chapel Hill has four other National Register neighborhoods to include East Chapel Hill, Gimghoul, Rocky Ridge, and West Chapel Hill. Coker Hills is the first post World War II Chapel Hill neighborhood to be listed on the National Register. The nomination was a collaboration between the Coker Hills Neighborhood Association and Preservation Chapel Hill.

Located around Elliott and Clayton Roads, the neighborhood comprises 129 properties of which about 82% are contributing. All of the neighborhood’s roads are named after well-known botanists. The original land was owned by William Chambers Coker and developed by his protege Henry R Totten between mid 1960 and mid-1972.

The neighborhood is composed of a blend of styles including Traditional, Modernist, Colonial Revival, Ranch, Minimal and International which are sited on the fall line of the edge of the Triassic Basin and represents a nationwide trend toward thoughtful neighborhood design. George Smart, in his letter of support for the nomination writes “As the founder and CEO of the nation’s largest nonprofit educational archive dedicated to Modernist residential architecture, and someone who has spent nearly two decades documenting thousands of Modernist houses across North Carolina, I can state with confidence that Coker Hills represents one of the most significant concentrations of mid-century residential architecture in the South.”

A private nonprofit organization since 1972, Preservation Chapel Hill is focused on preserving the built environment, neighborhoods and places of Chapel Hill and vicinity.

06/19/2026

What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, is an incredibly important holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.

June 19, 1865, is the date when General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that all slaves were free. This happened two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln.

Juneteenth is a day of celebration, freedom, education, and cultural appreciation. Today, Juneteenth is recognized as a federal holiday.

06/12/2026

Visit www.preservationchapelhill.org and become a member today!

06/10/2026

2026 July 4th Celebration of America’s 250th Birthday!

Dear Friends and Supporters,

As we approach the 4th of July, we are excited to invite you to join us for a special celebration hosted by Preservation Chapel Hill. This festive event is an opportunity to come together as a community, celebrate our nation's independence, and support the ongoing preservation of Chapel Hill's rich heritage.

Event Details:

Date: Saturday, July 4th
Time: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM (music begins at 1:30 PM)
Location: Horace Williams House, 610 E Rosemary St, Chapel Hill, NC

What to Expect:

Live music from The Village Band
Water, lemonade, and ice cream
Fun for children and adults alike.

This event is open to everyone, and we encourage you to bring your family and friends. Admission is free, but donations are welcome and greatly appreciated. Your contributions will support our mission to preserve and protect the historic buildings and neighborhoods of Chapel Hill.

We look forward to celebrating with you and making this 4th of July a memorable occasion for all. Thank you for your continued support of Preservation Chapel Hill.

Note: The celebration will be canceled in the event of rain.

06/08/2026

A Window into the Past

The Strayhorn House in Carrboro began as a one-room log cabin built in 1879 by Tony and Nellie Strayhorn, who were formerly enslaved. Today, the outline of that original cabin remains visible within the home's living room. Over time, the 150-year-old logs have sagged, making it necessary to reinforce three of the four walls. That preservation project is now nearing completion.
One of the most striking features of the recent renovation is the addition of two vertical viewing windows that reveal the original log walls hidden within the structure.

The first photograph, taken recently, shows homeowner Ms. Dolores Clark, a sixth-generation descendant of Tony and Nellie Strayhorn, standing in front of one of the viewing windows on the room's south wall. A close examination of the exposed logs reveals two distinct construction phases. The original hand-hewn logs form a wall approximately six feet high. At a later date, a second layer of logs was added, raising the ceiling height to more than seven feet. Evidence of the original ceiling joists can still be seen in the lower logs, indicating where they were removed during the expansion.

Preservation Chapel Hill has been involved with the Strayhorn House since 2012, when a chimney collapse brought attention to the property's preservation needs. In 2023 and 2024, Preservation Chapel Hill completed a major stabilization project that included foundation repairs, floor leveling, replacement of faulty HVAC ductwork, and improvements to divert groundwater away from the structure.

More recently, Preservation Chapel Hill collaborated with Orange County to prepare and submit a nomination for the Strayhorn House to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The second photograph shows the viewing window on the left side of the south interior wall. The image clearly illustrates the transition between the original lower logs and the newer upper logs that were added during the building's expansion, providing a remarkable glimpse into the evolution of this historic home.

06/07/2026

The Strayhorn House has recently been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The nomination for the National Register was a collaboration between Preservation Chapel Hill and the Orange County Historic Preservation Commission.

Listing on the National Register is a great honor that recognizes the importance of the Strayhorn House to local historic preservation.