MARK'S GRANDMOTHER'S HOME ...And then The North Carolina Arts Council Located in Raleigh, NC

Raleigh, NC

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My Grandmother bought this home and lived in it for nearly fifty years, providing housing for young women going to Peace College or Hardbarger's Business School. Yes, it was a genuine "boarding home" of the era, a venerable and respectable tradition which flourished mid-20th Century in the downtown area of Raleigh near Historic Oakwood. At her peak, she had as many as 16 girls in her home, and breakfast and supper was prepared and served by her, five days a week. Her husband died early on, and this was her courageous means to survive and support her family from the late 1940's. My family are all authentic natives of this community. Elizabeth Joy Wilkerson (maiden) who grew up on a tobacco farm, was Aunt to the late Dr. Annie Louise Wilkerson, another pioneer, distinguished famously in women's medicine in this local region as Raleigh's first woman OB/GYN, recently inducted in the 2005 Raleigh Hall of Fame, and who bequeathed her 155-acre farm near Falls Lake to Raleigh for a Nature Preserve Park. My Uncle Hubert (YH) Altman was a District Fire Chief serving our community for 30 years, simultaneously with a tax client base of over 500. The most generous man I have ever met, he served the "Early Birds" Wednesday mornings at First Presbyterian Church, where every pew was filled with firemen and police when he passed and was recognized with full high ceremonial honors including bagpipes, honor guard and passing of the flag...so satisfying that so many others knew him as I did. My parents are octagenaran retirees: Mom gave her work life to the Wilmington Star News, the Wrightsville Marine Bio-Medical Lab, and Southern Bell. Today, she's an award-winning quilter and the "go-to" computer whiz in our family! My father gave nearly forty years to Occidental Life which resided in one of the finest examples of post-war modern architecture on Wade Avenue (still there), near old Rex Hospital. At one time, the building included rich woods, marble walls and floors, a cafeteria, and an auditorium with grand piano and proscenium stage! Grandmother Joy's home was one block over from Governor Bev Perdue's Mansion, two blocks east of where President Obama spoke, and was the last home on the block to be purchased by the State of North Carolina. I remember when it was surrounded by other stately homes, and bamboo growing wild everywhere. When she passed, there were parking lots on either side. We walked everywhere...to the Piggly Wiggly...through Capitol Square to the real Farmer's Market...to Woolworth's, where the wooden floors creaked, the toys were downstairs, and there was always the smell of popcorn and hot dogs in the air...and of course, to the Ambassador Theater, where she accompanied my sister and me to the premiere run of the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night", which she snoozed through all afternoon! 226 East North Street served as the home of the North Carolina Arts Council until December 2006, which is even more meaningful for me personally. I founded and managed a North Carolina Not-for-Profit Arts Institution - The Blowing Rock Stage Company - for twelve years, successfully writing and overseeing at least 15 state grants originating from NCAC which helped to fund our organization, now approaching its 24th season in a brand new $11m performing arts center high in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. And not too long ago... I learned that a current client whom I was assisting to find the perfect home had lived in my Grandmother's boarding house...just down the street from the landmark original Krispie Kreme...nearly 30 years ago. Ironic, isn't it? (For more information, click "How Mark Started..." in the navigation links to the left.)

For more information or to schedule an appointment please contact Mark Wilson, Broker RealtorŪ, GRI, ABR (919) 796-7919

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