Winston-Salem is home to many historic houses. Let’s walk down memory lane to learn the stories about two properties that are 100+ years old — and the people who built them.
Col. William A. Blair House, 210 S. Cherry St.
William Allen Blair came to the town of Winston in 1888 to serve as superintendent of the Slater State Normal School (what would eventually become Winston-Salem State University). He also held multiple leadership roles in business. He earned the honorary title of “colonel” after serving on President Theodore Roosevelt’s inaugural committee.
Blair and his wife, Mary Eleanor Fries, built the two-story, Colonial Revival-style home in 1901. Knoxville architect George Barber designed the home. Blair died in the home in 1948. His son, John, lived there until 1983. Today, the home has been converted into office space. It’s a Local Historic Landmark and one of four remaining turn-of-the-century homes on Cherry Street.
Adolphus H. Eller House, 129 Cascade Ave.
Adolphus Hill Eller was a local attorney and NC senator. After his stint in politics, he served as secretary and treasurer of the NC Railroad Company, then trust officer and vice president of Wachovia Bank and Trust Co. He was also a founder of Slater State Normal School and Baptist Hospital.
He and his wife, Laura Winifred Newland, built the home in 1918 in what is now the Washington Park Historic District. Architect Willard Northrup designed the Dutch Colonial home. The Eller family sold it in 1944 but it remains a private residence. You can go inside the property by registering for a Preservation Forsyth tour on Thursday, Nov. 7.
Want to check out more grand homes in the Twin City? Grab a copy of “Great Houses and their Stories” by local author and professor Margaret Supplee Smith.
