NewsRelease

Chancellor’s Residence Move Set for June 7

GREENSBORO – Dr. Julius Foust, the first occupant of the Chancellor’s Residence when it was completed in 1923, would be amazed if he could see the structure on May 29, 2003 – all trussed up, jacked up on wheels and ready to move to its new location at the intersection of Spring Garden and Kenilworth streets on Saturday, June 7.

Passersby and motorists on Spring Garden Street have watched with curiousity and awe over the past month as a steel-beam support frame was assembled under the 5,000-square-foot house, which was then jacked up six feet off its foundation. Things really got interesting for spectators two weeks ago when sets of wheels were put under the building. The actual move began on Tuesday, May 27, when the massive structure was rolled slowly away from the foundation site and up the dirt ramp that was prepared earlier.

As of Wednesday, May 27, the house had been moved almost to Spring Garden Street, and then turned at an angle. When the move date comes, the angled approach will allow it to move more easily onto the street. The move is being done by Blake House Moving Company Inc. of Greensboro, and one of the company's owners, Mike Blake, is a 1979 graduate of UNCG. The general contractor for the project is Weaver-Cooke Construction Company of Greensboro.

Trees that were removed from the median of Spring Garden Street in February will be replaced June 15-17, according to the project schedule, which calls for street restoration to go on from June 9-14. The project will require closing portions of Spring Garden Street.

The house has been ready for the big move for some time. Chimneys have been boarded up for stability, stone facing and roof slate have been removed, and steel banding has been run around the house to prevent cracks due to shifting. An earlier move was planned for March 8 at the start of Spring Break. Bad weather and a change of subcontractor for the move caused the delay.

UNCG and Preservation North Carolina signed a lease agreement in late August. The project was delayed, however, while UNCG officials waited to receive notice of a payment and performance bond to cover PNC’s $1.4 million share of the cost. The matter was cleared up at the Board of Trustees’ November meeting, when the building’s name was approved, and the lease was extended for the move.

When the renovation is completed, the house will be named for the late Emily Harris Preyer and Jane Harris Armfield, two sisters who were UNCG alumnae and civic leaders in Greensboro. UNCG has worked with PNC over the past two years to save and renovate the house. Built in 1923, it was designed by noted architect Harry Barton and is considered to be a good example of his work.

According to "Bricks and Mortar: A Walking Guide to The University of North Cartolina at Greensboro, the house was built in a section of campus known as "The Swamp," a boggy place fed by the mineral spring that gave Spring Garden Street its name.

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