When you picture a home in the Wilmington, NC, what Southern-style home do you see in your mind’s eye? Growing up in the Northeast, when I envisioned Southern architecture, I immediately thought of Scarlett O’Hara’s Tara. Did you know that her Antebellum home, with its stately white columns, expansive porch and symmetrical shape was actually derived from Greek Revival?
According to William H. Bates, III an architect and professor of drawing and design at the American College of the Building Arts in Charleston, S.C. the country’s greatest number of Greek Revival homes survived in the South because the area’s economy languished after the Civil War. Because many homeowners couldn’t afford to tear down or remodel their homes they left their homes intact. By the time the economy recovered in the 1940’s people were more interested in spending their money to restore rather than replace.
Southern Styles are still going strong. Just like the majestic Southern style home with stately columns, circular driveway centered around the Old Oak Trees located at 3606 Owencroft Court in one of Wilmington’s most desirable neighborhoods, Windward Oaks. Windward Oaks is in the Masonboro Sound area. Adjacent to the Intracoastal Waterway, Masonboro Sound is defined as that part of the New Hanover County between Hewlett’s Creek to the north and Whiskey Creek to the south.
Beginning in Colonial times, prominent Wilmington families would spend their summers on the sound to escape the heat of the city. William Hooper, who was one of three North Carolinians who signed the Declaration of Independence built a home in 1773 on the property he purchased on the sound. Hooper called his property “Finian” which is the primary private road that runs from Masonboro Sound Rd. to Masonboro Loop Rd.Why has Southern style been so endearing to so many buyers? It could be the grand features and spacious scale. But more than likely, it is the charm and the genteel lifestyle that Southern architecture suggests.
To catch a glimpse of the glamour that Windward Oak's offers, call 910-262-5936.