Seeing Double? These houses, which are home to the Red Hen and Provence are two of many built by Thomas Lloyd. Photo by Kirk Ross.
By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
Old mill houses are scattered throughout downtown Carrboro. And while probably few passing by notice, dozens of them are almost exactly the same, built by mill owner Thomas Lloyd around the turn of the 20th century.
Like these mill houses, many Carrboro buildings – both residential and commercial – were built long ago, during Carrboro’s era as a mill town; but over the years, they’ve become difficult to spot.
According to Carrboro, N.C.: An Architectural and Historical Inventory, published by the Carrboro Appearance Commission in 1983, more than 150 structures within Carrboro’s city limits were built prior to 1930.
To identify these buildings for visitors and residents alike, the Carrboro Appearance Commission has launched the Carrboro Historic Building Plaque Program.
The program is hosting a contest for local artists to design the plaque that will mark Carrboro’s historic buildings. The winner will receive $500.
“It’s a great little project,†said Catherine DeVine, coordinator of the project and former member of the appearance commission. DeVine said she started working on the project about a year ago with fellow appearance commission member Tom Wiltberger.
Many owners of the historic buildings have maintained and restored the properties, DeVine said.
“We said, ‘Let’s start marking all these historic buildings,’†she added. “We convinced the rest of the appearance commission that it was a great idea.â€
DeVine said the commission sent mailings to about 150 residents and business owners in historic buildings to gauge the interest in a plaque program.
While only about 20 people attended the program’s first meeting, DeVine said she plans to send out a second mailing soon and hopes to attract more interest from the owners of historic Carrboro buildings.
Eventually, the appearance commission hopes to script self-guided walking tours of Carrboro that include the historic properties. In addition, DeVine hopes to orchestrate house tours of some of the historic buildings.
Once the winning plaque design is chosen, the plaques will be available for historic-building owners to purchase and mount on the structures. DeVine said she believes the plaques can be reproduced for less than $200.
“It really has to be, or else nobody is going to want one,†she said.
Plaques can be no larger than 18 inches square and may be made out of any material that is weatherproof and of permanent quality.
The design should be reflective of Carrboro’s rich history as a mill town and as an artistic and cultural mecca. The lettering on each plaque will be unique to each property and ideally would be readable from several yards.
Artists should submit a color rendering or sketch, plus two color copies, as well as an artist’s statement. Submissions should include artist contact information, material description, technical specifications, dimensions, estimated production cost and mounting details.
Entries must be received by March 30. Submissions should be sent to Carrboro Historic Building Plaque Program, Carrboro Town Hall, 301 Main St., Carrboro, NC, 27510, Attn. James Thomas.
For more information, contact Catherine DeVine at 967-3795 or catdevine@mindspring.com.