Fulton–Mock–Blackmer House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Fulton–Mock–Blackmer House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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 Location in North Carolina
Location in the United States
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| Location | Fulton Street, Salisbury, North Carolina |
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| Architectural style | Federalist style |
| Part of | Salisbury Historic District |
| Designated CP | 1975 |
The Fulton–Mock–Blackmer House is a historic home built in 1820. It is located in Salisbury, North Carolina, USA. Its most famous owner was the actor Sidney Blackmer. The house was damaged by fire in 1984, but it was fully restored by 2015. It is part of the West Square Historic District, a special area protected by the city since 1975. It is also an important building within the larger Salisbury Historic District.
Contents
The House's Early Years
John Fulton built this house in Salisbury in 1820. The street it is on, Fulton Street, is named after him. The house was built in the Federalist style, which was popular at the time.
In 1821, an advertisement in a local newspaper called the Western Carolinian said the house was being finished. It was described as a "large and comfortable house" meant to be a boarding-house for young ladies.
John Fulton passed away in 1827. His stepson, Maxwell Chambers, then inherited the property. At one point, President Andrew Jackson appointed Fulton's nephew, William S. Fulton, as the governor of Arkansas.
The house was used as a home for girls attending Salisbury Academy. Later, it became a school itself. Even Davidson College, a well-known university, owned the house for a time. The A.J. Mock family later owned the house. They added decorative brackets above the front windows in the Italianate style. They also changed most of the original Federalist style windows.
Sidney Blackmer and the Fire
The famous actor Sidney Blackmer bought the house in 1931. His family lived there for many years. Blackmer planted several trees around the house, including cedar trees, a holly tree, and a cucumber magnolia.
The house is very large, about 5,000 square feet. It is located at the corner of Fulton and Innes Streets. On December 1, 1984, a fire badly damaged the house. After the fire, Sidney Blackmer's wife, Suzanne Blackmer, could not afford to restore it.
Between 1906 and 1908, four large Ionic columns had been added to the house. After the fire, these columns were carefully stored away. A contractor named Al Wilson worked on the house in 1989. He fixed the roof and the foundation. These repairs were very important because they stopped the house from falling apart during the many years it was empty.
Efforts to Save the House
In 2008, Jonathan Blackmer, the son of Sidney and Suzanne, asked for the house to be either torn down or restored. He hoped it could be used for something public, like a museum about his father's acting career.
In June 2012, the Historic Salisbury Foundation agreed to buy the house. This foundation works to save old buildings. They paid Jonathan Blackmer $109,611 for the property. Restoration work began soon after. In April 2013, the public was allowed to see inside the house for the first time in 28 years.
Architect Joseph K. Oppermann showed visitors the house's original features. These included its Federalist-style windows and shutters. They also found old wallpaper and doors with a special "false wood graining" paint. In the front living room, they found blue wallpaper with a picture of Commodore Stephen Decatur. Brian Davis, who leads the Historic Salisbury Foundation, said the roof would be raised to its original height. This would bring back the full attic space. Materials from the historic Grimes Mill, which burned in 2013, were planned to be used in the house's restoration.
The Dixons' Restoration
Glenn and Beth Dixon had already restored another historic house in Salisbury. They wanted to move back to the West Square Historic District. Beth Dixon wanted to restore the Fulton–Mock–Blackmer House. She thought her husband might find it too damaged. But because the Historic Salisbury Foundation had already done so much work, Glenn Dixon thought it was "perfect." He wanted a house where everything would be new except the main structure.
In February 2014, the Dixons bought the house from the Historic Salisbury Foundation for $150,000. They used special tax credits for historic preservation to help pay for the restoration. The work was planned to be finished by December 2014. The old chimneys were replaced, but their original bricks were used on the outside. The Dixons wanted to keep as much of the house's history as possible. The restored 20-foot columns were put back on July 14, but they still needed their decorative tops.
Old photos and Jonathan Blackmer's memories helped the Dixons decide what needed to be done. They wanted each part of the house to look as it did at some point in its history. Glenn Dixon said that "Historically, it's 100 percent original." Even the interior doors from 1820 are still used today.
Completion and Award
The full renovation of the Fulton–Mock–Blackmer House was completed in early 2015. In the same year, the house received a historic preservation award. This award was given by the Historic Salisbury Foundation for Private Preservation & Neighborhood Revitalization.
Images for kids
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Fulton-Mock-Blackmer House in 2015 after completion of the renovation.
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Fulton-Mock-Blackmer House after completed renovations.
