The Designer Showhouse Opened in April
In early April, the Hillside, a grand home in Fisher Park in Greensboro was opened to the public for a Designer Showcase by Preservation Greensboro which opened the Tudor-style home as a culmination of its restoration.
The home has a notable history as the home of Julian Price, a nationally known insurance executive, business and civic leader, and philanthropist who had a leadership role in many business enterprises and philanthropic causes across North Carolina as he developed one of the largest life insurance companies in the American South.
Julian Price (25 Nov 1867 – 25 Oct 1946) is most remembered as chairman of the board of the Jefferson Standard Life Insurance Company and for his generosity. Price took a position with Jefferson Standard Life Insurance Company in 1912. He was promoted to president of the company in 1919 and served in that capacity for 27 years until 1946.
When he became president of Jefferson Standard in 1919, the company held assets of $9.7 million and insurance in force of $81.6 million. When he stepped down as president, the company held assets of $179.2 million and the insurance in force exceeded $672 million. At that time, Jefferson Standard ranked thirteenth in the nation among insurance companies.
Julian Price was a patron of architecture. In 1919, New York architect Charles Hartmann came to Greensboro to design the O.Henry Hotel on North Elm Street. Price offered Hartmann the job of designing the corporate tower for Jefferson Standard Insurance if he’d move to Greensboro and open a practice. Hartmann accepted the offer and spent the rest of his life in Greensboro designing notable buildings throughout North Carolina.
In addition to his company’s headquarters, Price selected Hartmann to design the Price family home, named “Hillside.” Located on a bluff overlooking the western lobe of Fisher Park in Greensboro, the sprawling 1929 residence is an example of Period Revival architecture, specifically designed to evoke a rambling English Tudor home. The façade features rough stucco, herringbone brick, and false-half-timbered walls, massive brick chimneys with articulated flues and clay pots, and an asymmetrical massing that features gables, wall dormers, and a stair tower. The landscape is equally detailed, containing low stone retaining walls, serpentine flagstone walkways, and mature evergreen trees.
Price died as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident while travelling to his mountain retreat near Blowing Rock. His estate near Blowing Rock was donated to the US Government as part of the Blue Ridge Parkway, a site which is today known as the Julian Price Memorial Park.
The Julian Price House – Designers Showhouse
Preservation Greensboro volunteers worked with specialty craftspeople, interior architects, and community partners to open Hillside to the public as a ticketed event April 7 – May 6, 2018. Admission allowed tours of the historic home with interior and exterior spaces designed by some of the most creative innovators in the industry today. Southern Home magazine will feature their work in a publication in late 2018. Tours included the formal rooms of the house, acknowledging the historic designation of the house, but also showcased newly renovated kitchen and master bathroom spaces. Highlights included the Living and Dining rooms, Master Bedroom and Bath, a Kitchen and Playroom.
About Preservation Greensboro
The mission of Preservation Greensboro is to build thriving communities by protecting and renewing their historic and architectural treasures.
They promote architecture and neighborhoods through activities such as educational tours, special events, seminars, and publications, while their sister organization, the Preservation Greensboro Development Fund, finds extended uses for historic buildings owned by others through partnerships and creative solutions.
For over 50 years, Preservation Greensboro Incorporated has served to preserve historic sites, neighborhoods, and streetscapes that provide the Gate City with a unique sense of history and place.
For information on becoming a member contact Executive Director Benjamin Briggs office at 336-272-5003.