Let award-winning Realtor Greg Rapp/Salisbury Real Estate LLC introduce you to Salisbury, North Carolina, & help you meet your real estate needs! Salisbury is home to a wide range of residential and commercial architectural styles priced attractively FOR SALE. For over 250 years Salisbury has been recognized for its culture and charm. Let Greg Rapp get you into the home of your dreams or your new business locale!
Many folks love, in their hearts, the concept of owning a vintage home. Nothing compares to the quality of construction, the character, and the design of the historic homes from the 1800s and early 1900s. Yet some worry that the vintage lifestyle is not quite what they can picture themselves living. Welcome to 329 East Bank Street in the Brooklyn South Square Historic District in Salisbury, North Carolina, listed with Wallace Realty by Greg Rapp.
The expansive circa 1895 weatherboarded frame dwelling was built by Reuben J. Holmes about 1895. Noted as the Holmes-Jackson House in the Brooklyn South Square historic district overlay with the National Register of Historic Places, the Mr. Holmes built the house on land purchased from the United States Government after the confederate military prison which occupied the site during the Civil War was destroyed. By 1882, Holmes, a prosperous merchant and businessman, had built this large single-story home, typical of late nineteenth century dwellings, featuring steep gables with diamond-shaped louvered vents and interior chimneys. Sanborn maps show that the present rear and side additions, as well as its columned and pedimented porch were added about 1910. A cinder-block garage (2-car) and storage building, built about 1920, sits just behind the house. This wonderful example of late nineteenth century architecture sat empty in recent past years, but then a young couple purchased the home and began the work to rejuvenate it. They stabilized and renovated the home, and sold it to a professional photographer who added many more updates, including the privacy fence encircling the back yard. The exterior improvements closely resemble the original materials and design. But once you step inside this 2510 square-foot home, you will be struck by how the remodel incorporated modern touches with the vintage elements that include the original floors, beautifully refinished to a soft gleam, original horizontal shiplap walls in the living room, and a plethora of fireplaces! But the modern elements, such as a newly opened kitchen-to-dining room creating a smooth flow of space, modern tilework, and more, bring this home into the 21st century! Let's Step Inside!
This single-story Victorian incorporates the wonderful center hall design so typical of this style of residential architecture of this era. The newly restored hardwood floors will be the first thing to catch your eye in this gracious space! Innovative wall removal created a flowing open floor plan you don't ordinarily find in a late 1800s Victorian. The already large rooms have an even better spacial flow and air flow. Recessed lighting adds that bright, modern touch! Living Areas Onward to the parlor ~ a warm and welcoming 15' x 15' room with its vintage fireplace (non-functioning) updated with custom tile work, sparkling hardwood floors, and freshly painted shiplap plank walls ~ a nod to this home's 1895 beginnings.
'Shiplap' is a system of wooden boards that are often used for constructing barns and other rustic buildings. Traditional shiplap has a rabbet (or groove) cut into the top and bottom, which allows the pieces to fit together snugly, forming a tight seal. This also gives shiplap its distinctive appearance, with subtle horizontal reveals between each piece. Lately shiplap has become a popular choice for interior finishes too, thanks to its rustic charm and subtle texture. Lucky is the owner of the vintage home who finds the shiplap walls intact! Many remodelers now try to emulate that look for interior projects, faking the look by applying MDF boards to drywall because it's a great way to add a little character to any room. 329 E. Bank Street already has its original character! A separate, open & charming sitting space has been created along the east facing wall from what had previously been another room ~ making a delightful conversation area and sunroom, while allowing natural light to flow into the living room.
Walls were removed to create the fabulous open flow from formal dining room to kitchen, with stately columns defining the spaces. Natural daylight flows through the many windows in this bright and functional room! Another of the home's (4) fireplaces flanked by glass-fronted closets graces and anchors this fabulous expanse.
The Kitchen The chef's kitchen is marvelously renovated with granite countertops, a wonderful work island with cooktop and wood-encased hood, specialty tile, new cabinetry, and many, many other features and updates. Original high ceilings and thick crown mouldings are your ties to the home's era of construction, while stainless-steel appliances and modern storage create today's gourmet's kitchen.
Note the shades-of-gray custom tile backsplash, the plentiful outlets for countertop appliances, and the plethora of recessed lighting in this wonderfully modernized space!
So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Good Night At the end of a fun evening of entertaining in your new home with its expanse of kitchen to dining area and open floor plan, you'll enjoy retiring to the spacious Owner's bedroom. The spacious 15' x 15' master bedroom, with yet another beautiful fireplace (sadly, none of the fireplaces at this time are functional), awaits you for your well-deserved good night sleep.
A rare treat in a home of this era is the large walk-in closet in the master bedroom. The lack of closets in the 1890's Victorians were the reason that armoires were such popular furnishing items! The master bath is completely modernized with beautiful custom tile, dual vanities, and a walk-in shower.
Two more large bedrooms complete this lovely home, accompanied by a large hall bath that, although also completely modernized, features a lovely claw-foot bath tub and pedestal sink. The remaining fireplace is in bedroom #3.
329 E. Bank Street has been completely and thoroughly rejuvenated. It's updates include all new mechanical systems, a new roof, and fresh paint inside and out. A cute laundry room is tucked away in its 2500+ square feet of living space. The most recent owner, who is giving up the home to return to her native Spain, completely fenced in the corner lot back yard with stockade-style fencing for privacy. The City of Salisbury recently approved a 'Complete Streets' program that will include bike paths and a 'road-diet' (narrowing of the road) on neighboring Long Street to a more neighborhood friendly width.
The Brooklyn South Square neighborhood has one of the city's finest collection of vintage homes, and is close to downtown Salisbury entertainment (community theatre and live music), restaurants (both chain and independent), coffee shops, and unique shopping, including an independent bookstore, candy shoppe, and organic food shop. The Salisbury-Rowan Farmers Market is just a few blocks away. Several neighboring homes have been featured in the Historic Salisbury Foundation annual OctoberTour™ tour of historic homes, including the westerly neighboring home, the 1899 Hamill-Thompson-Kessler House at 321 E. Bank Street. We've been keeping the (almost) best part of this historic home-for-sale a secret. And here it is: This circa 1895, 3-bedroom/2-bath home with over 2500 square feet of living space is priced at just $150,000! You read that right! $150,000. Make that call now: (704) 213-6836 and ask about 329 E. Bank Street (MLS#59324). You won't regret it!
Realtor® Greg Rapp with Wallace Realty is recognized as the area's specialist in historic and vintage homes. When you want to know more about the ca. 1895 Holmes-Jackson House, or any of the other historic homes and neighborhoods in Salisbury, North Carolina, Greg is the one to call: (704) 213-6846. Make your new home the best of both worlds, vintage Victorian AND modern living. Call or text for your private showing!
The History of Cheerwine (adapted from an article by JIMMY TOMLIN in Our State magazine) Its flavor is sweet, its color is red, and its history is inextricably intertwined with our own. At soda fountains and from vending machines, we grew up with it. This is our drink. But we’re happy to share it with the rest of the world. Bob Morgan, a Salisbury NC native, began drinking Cheerwine soft drink as a boy in the mid-1930s. He tells about the old country store where he would get a bologna & cheese sandwich and a bottle of Cheerwine for a quarter. And he tells a pricelss story of drinking a Cheerwine in a foxhole amid the combat of World War II.
Those who have grown up in Salisbury, North Carolina may take Cheerwine for granted. The soft drink was not widely available outside the Salisbury area for decades. Cliff Ritchie, president and chief executive of Cheerwine's maker, Carolina Beverage Corp., says that the company was pretty content just to stay in basically the Piedmont and in the western North Carolina area. Ritchie is the fourth generation of Cheerwine leadership. His great-grandfather, L.D. Peeler, concocted the soft drink in 1917, when a sugar shortage during World War I led him to experiment with cherry flavoring. It all began in a building, a former whiskey distillery, in downtown Salisbury.
While the soft drink may have roots in a former whiskey distillery, Cheerwine contains no alcohol. The 'wine' in the name derives from the deep burgundy color. Countless people are often confused, assuming the drink is a wine product! IN 1992, federal regulators and anti-alcohol activists were accusing Cheerwine of encouraging teens to drink alcohol. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms backed away quickly after an investigation, acknowledging, "Cheerwine is wine like root beer is beer." Cheerwine has shown continued growth, despite the challenges, through the years. The Cheerwine concentrate - with its 'secret formula' is sold locally, but stories abound of people driving thousands of miles to Salisbury NC to get the soft drink.
When you are in Salisbury, stop in to Innes Street Drug (on South Main Street in the historic downtown). Innes Street Drug is the only place in town that sells officially licensed Cheerwine merchandise...and not just the drink! The downtown shop, complete with old-fashioned soda fountain bar & stools (and the best milkshake in town!) offers Cheerwine shirts, hats, boxer shorts, clocks, license plates, and bumper stickers. Visitors to Salisbury often leave with $600-$700 worth of Cheerwine memorabilia. At the soda fountain, you can order Cheerwine slushies, milk shakes, and floats, as well as a slice of Cheerwine cake and Cheerwine fudge. In 2010, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts introduced a Cheerwine cream-filled doughnut. The company sold more than a million of that doughnut in just one month!
By 2016, after nearly 100 years of its existence, Cheerwine is available in 12 states, with hopes to be distributed in all 50 states in the near future. But some North Carolinians aren't sure how they feel about this! As author Jimmy Tomlin says, "Here in North Carolina, we can’t help but feel a little possessive when it comes to Cheerwine, and that’s especially true for those of us who grew up drinking it. We’re proud to claim it as our own and we’re not sure we want to share what we have — what we’ve had for nearly a century — with anyone else. ~ Does that make us Cheerwine snobs? Probably."
Jimmy goes on the say, "In the end, . . . we’ll share our Cheerwine bounty with the less fortunate who’ve been deprived for so long. Sharing is just what we do here in the South, whether it’s tomatoes from our garden, sugar from our pantry, wisdom from our life experiences or, in this case, Cheerwine from our refrigerators. Know this, though: Even if the soft drink reaches all 50 states, there’s one thing we can claim about our Cheerwine that the rest of the country cannot. It tastes like home. It tastes like North Carolina." (Read the full Our State magazine article >HERE<) This year, Cheerwine celebrates its 100th anniversary! Celebrations are planned in historic downtown Salisbury NC in May ~ and we hope you'll join us! When you are in Salisbury NC shopping for your home or new commercial location, let Realtor® Greg Rapp introduce you to Cheerwine . . . to see what home tastes like! (704) 213-6846 ~ call or text today!
Not every buyer is looking for the move-in-ready, perfect home!
Some appreciate the challenge that what many of us call 'The Fixer Upper' offers! And like Jeffrey Rothfeder of This Old House magazine says, "For people who love old houses — and love to work on them — the notion of buying a fixer-upper can be irresistible. Just think: You can snag a rundown place in a good neighborhood for way below market price, invest some time and money renovating it, and end up with a like-new house that's worth at least twice what you paid for it." (Read his article here: Should You Buy That Fixer-Upper)
Greg Rapp, with Wallace Realty, had the 2-story circa 1900 Victorian home at 602 4th Street in Spencer, North Carolina listed for sale at just $29,900. And you would rightly ask, as many did, "Why so cheap??"
The large Victorian style farmhouse was in dire need of restoration, and was previously was a duplex, complete with two kitchens. Although the home offered lots of fireplaces with original mantels, all were nonfunctional. The home needed new HVAC...and in truth, just about everything else.
The good news: the home featured original woodwork throughout and most of the rooms were quite spacious. Located in the Spencer Historic District, and on the National Register of Historic Places, Greg offered this vintage home "Sold 'As-Is', with the underlying belief that this home near the North Carolina Transportation Museum could be a real stunner, once restored! And sometimes, if you believe in something strongly enough, it can happen!
Greg Rappclosed on the sale of 602 4th Street January 6, 2017. Did this take patience and persevering? Oh yes! The home was on the market 205 days...nearly a year...with offers that came, but fell through, until the right one came along! Don't believe this can happen? One of the true success stories is the Fulton-Blackmer House in Salisbury NC. This once spectacular circa 1820 mansion was not only abandoned but severely damaged by fire, then left to demolish by neglect. Many in the surrounding neighborhood desired demolition to rid the area of the eyesore. Historic Salisbury Foundation stepped in and stabilized the home, and soon afterward, buyers purchased their 'forever home'. The beauty of this restored home (and subsequent current value) far surpasses anything one could have imagined, had you seen the home in its desperate condition.
The Victorian home at 602 4th Street is in the Spencer Historic District. Located adjacent to the NC Transportation Museum, this is the largest contiguous historic district in North Carolina. It contains 322 residential and commercial buildings primarily constructed between 1905 and 1920 to provide support and housing for the workers of Southern Railway’s former steam locomotive repair facility.
And in the heart of the Spencer Historic District was the restoration enthusiast's dream come true: A lovely two-story Victorian ... at under $40,000!!!
There are more opportunities to find homes like this...at attractive prices, built with the character and quality of a bygone era. Interested? Call Greg Rapp with Wallace Realty: (704) 213-6846. Make your restoration dream come true!
This single-story Victorian incorporates the wonderful center hall design so typical of this style of residential architecture of this era. The newly restored hardwood floors will be the first thing to catch your eye in this gracious space!
A separate, open & charming sitting space has been created along the east facing wall from what had previously been another room ~ making a delightful conversation area and sunroom, while allowing natural light to flow into the living room.
Realtor® Greg Rapp with Wallace Realty is recognized as the area's specialist in historic and vintage homes. When you want to know more about the ca. 1895 Holmes-Jackson House, or any of the other historic homes and neighborhoods in Salisbury, North Carolina, Greg is the one to call: (704) 213-6846. Make your new home the best of both worlds, vintage Victorian AND modern living. Call or text for your private showing!
