A Wednesday, Aug. 28 public hearing is being held to gather input from Greensboro residents on the historic significance of three Greensboro properties – the Edward and Francis S. Lowenstein house at 2104 Granville Road, the Tanlea Woods house at 2904 Wynnewood Dr., and the South Benbow Road Historic District.
The City of Greensboro’s Historic Preservation Commission will conduct the hearing beginning at 4 p.m. on August 28, in the Plaza Level Conference Room of the Melvin Municipal Office Building at 300 W. Washington St. in downtown Greensboro.
The information and opinions gathered from speakers at the hearing will be submitted to the State Historic Preservation Office as part of the nomination process meant to award those properties the “Historic” designation.
According to city officials, all three nominated properties are currently “in the home stretch of being placed on the National Register of Historic Places.”
If the South Benbow Road Historic District is approved for the designation, it would be Greensboro’s first historically African American neighborhood to receive the honor.
The Lowenstein house and the Woods house are on the list largely because they were the work of Edward Lowenstein – Greensboro’s preeminent modernist architect.
Lowenstein, a native of Chicago who graduated from MIT, later moved to Greensboro where he became known for his inventive and modernist house designs in the city. Also, during his life, he taught and employed a diverse group of architects including those who were black, white, male, and female.
After the Aug. 28 meeting, another meeting with staff from the State Historic Preservation Office will take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at St. Matthews Methodist Church at 600 E. Florida St. in Greensboro.
At that meeting, attendees will find out what it means to be included on the National Register.
The National Register of Historic Places is the nation’s list of properties officially considered worthy of preservation. Twelve districts and 42 individual properties in Greensboro are listed in the register.
Being listed in the National Register places no restrictions on private property; however, it does mean that the owner of the property can be a candidate for federal and state income tax credits for rehabilitation of the property.
You can learn more about the designation at www.greensboro-nc.gov/HistoricPreservation
All you need to know is: Being listed in the National Register places no restrictions on private property; however, it does mean that the owner of the property can be a candidate for federal and state income tax credits for rehabilitation of the property. Why should being listed result in tax breaks, including property tax breaks? So, the crux of the designation is that every other schmo pays for the designation. When are we schmoes getting tax breaks?