Oakhurst (Greensboro, North Carolina)
Encyclopedia
Oakhurst is a famous Queen Anne
style house in Guilford County, North Carolina
.
Oakhurst was built by the architect, Frank P. Milburn
for Martin H. Holt, who was a co-principal with his brother J. Allen Holt, of Oak Ridge Institute (which is now the Oak Ridge Military Academy).
Oakhurst is an example of surviving Queen Anne style architecture in Guilford County, North Carolina
. The wood for the house was heart pine from South Carolina and contained tar and creosote that could not be attacked by termites. The house was originally built without a kitchen; it was said that Mrs. Holt did not care to cook. The Holts took all their meals in the dining hall of the Oak Ridge Institute. It features a three story tower that rises through the porch roof and is topped with an ogee
roof line.
The Holts were a pioneering family in cotton manufacturing in North Carolina.
In 1914, Martin retired because of an illness and soon died. Thomas Early Whitaker took over as principal and owner of the school. In 1917 he became the owner of Oakhurst. T.E. Whitaker had such a wide circle of friends that it is said that more guests have been entertained here than any other home in the county. A lifelong friend said “He had the mind of a chancellor and the ability to adjust differences between friends that was given to few men.” He also served in the North Carolina House of Representatives, Session of 1901.
T.E. Whitaker died unexpectedly in 1929. Oakhurst stayed in the Whitaker family until 1981.
Oakhurst is a contributing property to the Oak Ridge Military Academy Historic District and is a Guilford County Historic Landmark.
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
style house in Guilford County, North Carolina
Guilford County, North Carolina
Guilford County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. In 2010, the Census Bureau estimated the county's population to be 491,230. Its seat is Greensboro. Since 1938, an additional county court has been located in High Point, North Carolina, making Guilford one of only a handful...
.
Oakhurst was built by the architect, Frank P. Milburn
Frank Pierce Milburn
Frank Pierce Milburn was a prolific architect of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While Milburn designed commercial buildings and residences, his practice was primarily focused on public buildings, particularly courthouses and legislative buildings...
for Martin H. Holt, who was a co-principal with his brother J. Allen Holt, of Oak Ridge Institute (which is now the Oak Ridge Military Academy).
Oakhurst is an example of surviving Queen Anne style architecture in Guilford County, North Carolina
Guilford County, North Carolina
Guilford County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. In 2010, the Census Bureau estimated the county's population to be 491,230. Its seat is Greensboro. Since 1938, an additional county court has been located in High Point, North Carolina, making Guilford one of only a handful...
. The wood for the house was heart pine from South Carolina and contained tar and creosote that could not be attacked by termites. The house was originally built without a kitchen; it was said that Mrs. Holt did not care to cook. The Holts took all their meals in the dining hall of the Oak Ridge Institute. It features a three story tower that rises through the porch roof and is topped with an ogee
Ogee
An ogee is a curve , shaped somewhat like an S, consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite senses, so that the ends are parallel....
roof line.
The Holts were a pioneering family in cotton manufacturing in North Carolina.
In 1914, Martin retired because of an illness and soon died. Thomas Early Whitaker took over as principal and owner of the school. In 1917 he became the owner of Oakhurst. T.E. Whitaker had such a wide circle of friends that it is said that more guests have been entertained here than any other home in the county. A lifelong friend said “He had the mind of a chancellor and the ability to adjust differences between friends that was given to few men.” He also served in the North Carolina House of Representatives, Session of 1901.
T.E. Whitaker died unexpectedly in 1929. Oakhurst stayed in the Whitaker family until 1981.
Oakhurst is a contributing property to the Oak Ridge Military Academy Historic District and is a Guilford County Historic Landmark.