House Designed to Support Art
art, designer house, history, lowry chesson, real estate,
One of the most beautiful homes in eastern North Carolina has carried Elizabeth City’s history through the ages and into the future.
Bayside Manor, which sits amidst a 10-acre wooded area, was built in 1856 and has since been owned by three families, including entertainer Wayne Newton. The Greek Revival-style home boasts eight fireplaces and a large Gothic-style staircase.
In 2008, the antebellum plantation home was named the area’s first Designer House. The event, which had 11 sponsors, benefited Arts of the Albermarle and its effort to refurbish the Lowry Chesson building, a 110-year-old vaudeville theater that will be the new home for the arts group.
The event was a success, says event publicity coordinator Angela Stone of the Manuli-Stone real estate team.
“The house continues to inspire people’s interests in the community,” Stone says. “Everybody involved had a level of excitement that was amazing.”
The theme of the program was: Embracing the Past and the Present through Design. In accordance, 15 designers and landscapers from around the southeast worked on the 5,000-square-foot home.
The elegant and sophisticated manor featured 19 refurbished and decorated design areas, including a grand foyer, gentlemen’s library, a fantasy playroom and an in-law suite that served as a café and boutique. A local high school student also helped design a room as a senior project.
“It was so amazing to see the many ways this house was tied to the community,” Stone says. “Elizabeth City is beginning to be a small town on the move.”
See www.baysidemanortour.com for more information.
Story by Brandon Lowe
Photo by Todd Bennett
