The earliest planned development (1915) in Chapel Hill is Cobb Terrace, located at the north end of Henderson Street at the northwest corner of the Franklin-Rosemary Historic District. According to deed records, this collection of properties was part of an earlier development called Fairview.
Because of the uneven terrain, some doubted the ability of Collier Cobb, a professor of Geology at UNC, to develop the land. However, Cobb brought in earth to partially level the site and designed a terraced development to take advantage of the steep slopes to the north and east.
Within the initial development, Cobb erected eleven houses (NOTE: four of the houses -- #1, 2, 6, and 8 -- may have already been on the property), including several Aladdin Homes (mail-order kit houses), as affordable rental housing for young professors. The development was completed by 1927, with a total of just over 20 lots, including several small lots for garages.
The original plan for Cobb Terrace called for a loop street around the development with all of the houses facing outward. It is not clear whether the north part of the loop (initially named Cherokee Place, now named Cobb Terrace) was ever constructed, but by the time the streets were paved, the change in topography was too significant and the north part of the loop street was never paved. Instead, a narrow road that was meant to bisect the block became the primary road (initially part of Henderson Street, now named Cobb Terrace), addressing the rear of the houses on the north side of the development. As a result, many of the houses have been reoriented over time to face the road as it was constructed.
(Most of the above information is from: Chapel Hill Historic District Boundary Increase and Additional Documentation, Chapel Hill, Orange County, OR1750, by Heather Wagner Slane, December 2013.)
Circa 1920 (photo by Collier Cobb, via UNC)
Circa 1924 postcard (by The Albertype Co., Brooklyn, N.Y., via UNC)
The development's entryway (photo by S. Rankin, 12.09.2021)
1915 Sanborn map excerpt (note: Cobb Road/Terrace was not in existence yet)
1925 Sanborn map excerpt
1946 plat map (3-170)
1 COBB TERRACE
Built in
1910-1915
/ Modified in 1990
Local Historic District:
National Register:
Neighborhood:
Type:
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- COBB TERRACE by SteveR, Tue, 04/25/2023 - 9:29am
Last updated
- Tue, 04/25/2023 - 9:32am by SteveR
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Built in
1910-1915
/ Modified in 1990
Local Historic District:
National Register:
Neighborhood:
Type:
This structure was built prior to the development of "Cobb Terrace," likely sometime between 1910 and 1915.
The following information is from: Chapel Hill Historic District Boundary Increase and Additional Documentation, Chapel Hill, Orange County, OR1750, by Heather Wagner Slane, December 2013:
Located slightly behind (east of), and facing the rear of, the house at 2 Cobb Terrace, this onestory, hip-roofed, Craftsman-style bungalow is two bays wide and triple-pile. It has plain weatherboards, one-over-one wood-sash windows, and an exterior brick chimney on the left (north) elevation. The threelight-over-two-panel door is sheltered by a one-bay-wide, shed-roofed porch supported by tapered wood posts on weatherboard-covered piers. A shed-roofed dormer centered on the façade has a louvered vent flanked by diamond-light windows. A gabled addition at the rear continues the main ridge of the roof. It has fiber cement siding, grouped vinyl slider windows, and basement-level French doors. A gabled screened porch projects from the left elevation and an unpainted wood deck spans the majority of the left elevation with a parking area and plywood-sheathed storage below the deck. There is a stone wall at the right (south) and a loose stone wall at the rear (east). The building appears on the 1915 Sanborn map. The rear wing was constructed before 1992.
Circa 1920 (photo by Collier Cobb, via UNC)
View east (photo via MLS)
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2 COBB TERRACE / LEAR HOUSE
Built in
1910-1915
/ Modified in 1950-1959
,
1990
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- COBB TERRACE by SteveR, Tue, 04/25/2023 - 9:29am
Last updated
- Tue, 04/25/2023 - 9:35am by SteveR
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Built in
1910-1915
/ Modified in 1950-1959
,
1990
Architectural style:
Local Historic District:
National Register:
Neighborhood:
Type:
This structure was built prior to the development of "Cobb Terrace," and seems to have been constructed sometime between 1910 and 1915.
The following information is from: Chapel Hill Historic District Boundary Increase and Additional Documentation, Chapel Hill, Orange County, OR1750, by Heather Wagner Slane, December 2013:
Located at the entrance to Cobb Terrace, this one-and-a-half-story, side-gabled, Craftsman-style bungalow is two bays wide and triple-pile with a near-full-width, shed-roofed dormer on the façade. The house has wood shingles, one-over-one replacement windows, and an exterior brick chimney in the right (south) gable end. The full-width porch was partially enclosed as early as the 1950s and the façade of the remaining porch brought forward slightly. There is a twenty-light picture window on the right end of the façade and an inset porch on the left end of the façade is supported by columns and a shingled knee wall and shelters a one-light door. Triple windows in the dormer were replaced with picture windows flanked by one-over-one windows between 1992 and 2002. There is a single window in each gable and exposed rafter tails on the shed-roofed dormer. An entrance on the left (north) elevation is sheltered by a gabled porch supported by square posts on a shingled knee wall that has been enclosed with screens above. A two-story, shed-roofed addition at the left rear (northeast) has nine-over-one wood-sash windows and a basement level entrance on the north elevation. The building appears on the 1915 Sanborn map and its earliest occupants were likely the Lear family.
Circa 1920 (photo by Collier Cobb, via UNC)
Circa 1924 postcard excerpt (by The Albertype Co., Brooklyn, N.Y., via UNC)
View east, 1992 (photo by Mary Beth Gatza)
View east, 2014 (photo by Heather Wagner Slane)
View east, June 2019 (via Google Streetview)
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6 COBB TERRACE / DAGGETT HOUSE / BAHNSEN-HERZENBERG HOUSE
Built in
1910-1915
/ Modified in 2014
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- COBB TERRACE by SteveR, Tue, 04/25/2023 - 9:29am
Last updated
- Tue, 04/25/2023 - 9:59am by SteveR
Comments
Built in
1910-1915
/ Modified in 2014
Local Historic District:
National Register:
Neighborhood:
Type:
This structure was built prior to the development of "Cobb Terrace," likely sometime between 1910 and 1915.
The following information is from: Chapel Hill Historic District Boundary Increase and Additional Documentation, Chapel Hill, Orange County, OR1750, by Heather Wagner Slane, December 2013:
Built concurrent with the neighboring house at 8 Cobb Terrace and initially identical in form, this two-story, hip-roofed house has been recently renovated. The Craftsman-style house is three bays wide and triple pile with a projecting, second-floor, hip-roofed wing centered on the façade. The building has plain weatherboards, replacement three-over-one Craftsman-style wood-sash windows, and an exterior brick chimney on the right (south) elevation. The one-light-over-one-panel door centered on the façade is sheltered by a full-width, hip-roofed porch that wraps around the left (north) elevation as a one story space, enclosed after 1992, with a one-story hip-roofed addition at its rear that extends the full depth of the left elevation. The porch is supported by tapered wood columns and has a replacement wood railing. A two-story, hip-roofed ell extends from the left rear (northeast) with a second-story, projecting, hip-roofed bay on the left elevation. A one-story, hip-roofed porch at the right rear (southeast) is supported by a post matching those on the front porch. Its earliest occupants were likely the Daggett family though a plaque on the house names it the Bahnsen-Herzenberg House.
Circa 1920 (photo by Collier Cobb, via UNC)
View east, 1992 (photo by Mary Beth Gatza)
View north east, 2008 (photo via MLS)
View east, 2014 (photo by Heather Wagner Slane)
#6 is on the right; circa 1924 postcard excerpt (by The Albertype Co., Brooklyn, N.Y., via UNC)
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8 COBB TERRACE / STRUDWICK HOUSE
Built in
1910-1915
/ Modified in 2004-2018
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- COBB TERRACE by SteveR, Tue, 04/25/2023 - 9:29am
Last updated
- Tue, 04/25/2023 - 9:58am by SteveR
Comments
Built in
1910-1915
/ Modified in 2004-2018
Local Historic District:
National Register:
Neighborhood:
Type:
This structure was built prior to the development of "Cobb Terrace," likely sometime between 1910 and 1915.
The following information is from: Chapel Hill Historic District Boundary Increase and Additional Documentation, Chapel Hill, Orange County, OR1750, by Heather Wagner Slane, December 2013:
Built concurrent with the neighboring house as 6 Cobb Terrace, Sanborn maps indicate that the house originally had the same plan. The two-story, hip-roofed Craftsman-style house is three bays wide and triple pile with a projecting, second-floor, hip-roofed wing centered on the façade. The building has plain weatherboards, one-over-one wood-sash windows, and an exterior brick chimney on the right (south) elevation. A replacement six-panel door is sheltered by a hip-roofed porch on square columns. The house has been significantly altered with the addition of a hip-roofed two-story wing on the north elevation and the enclosure of the left (north) end of the porch as it wraps around the two-story wing. Additionally, a one-story-with-basement, hip-roofed wing at the left rear (northeast) has a projecting gable at the rear (east) and is flanked by shed-roofed bays that are fully enclosed with windows creating a large sunroom. The rear of the house has a one-story, shed-roofed wing, perhaps originally constructed as a porch. There is an inset porch at the left rear and a basement level entrance in the one-story, hiproofed wing. A loose-stacked stone wall is located in the front yard and there is an unpainted picket fence at the street. The building appears on the 1915 Sanborn map and the earliest occupants were likely the Strudwick family.
Circa 1920 (photo by Collier Cobb, via UNC)
View east, 1992 (photo by Mary Beth Gatza)
View east, 2014 (photo by Heather Wagner Slane)
#8 is on the left; circa 1924 postcard excerpt (by The Albertype Co., Brooklyn, N.Y., via UNC)
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12 COBB TERRACE
Built in
1916-1925
/ Modified in 1950-1980
Local Historic District:
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- COBB TERRACE by SteveR, Tue, 04/25/2023 - 9:29am
Last updated
- Tue, 04/25/2023 - 9:41am by SteveR
Comments
Built in
1916-1925
/ Modified in 1950-1980
Local Historic District:
National Register:
Neighborhood:
Type:
This structure was built sometime between 1916 and 1925.
The following information is from: Chapel Hill Historic District Boundary Increase and Additional Documentation, Chapel Hill, Orange County, OR1750, by Heather Wagner Slane, December 2013:
This two-story, hip-roofed foursquare is three bays wide and double-pile with flared eaves and a hip-roofed dormer centered on the façade. The house has plain weatherboards, one-over-one wood-sash windows, generally grouped, and an exterior brick chimney on the left (north) elevation. The entrance, located in a projecting bay, is a six-panel door and is sheltered by a one-story, hip-roofed porch that wraps around the right (south) elevation. The porch is supported by square posts on square piers and has molded rafter tails. The dormer has molded rafter tails and three diamond-light windows. There is a one-story, projecting, shed-roofed bay on the right elevation with a one-story, side-gabled wing behind it to the east with sliding doors on its façade that access the side yard. Two one-story, hip-roofed additions extends from the rear (east) of this gable wing. A two-story, hip-roofed ell projects from the right rear (southeast) of the house with a hip-roofed dormer on its east elevation. A second-floor balcony at the left rear (northeast), within the ell is accessed by double-leaf five-light French doors on the rear elevation. A one-story, gabled ell on the left elevation has modern fixed windows and an angled corner that follows the curve of Cobb Terrace. The house is set slightly above the street with a stone wall at the sidewalk. County tax records date the building to 1922 and the building appears on the 1925 Sanborn map.
Circa 1920 (photo by Collier Cobb, via UNC)
View east, 1992 (photo by Mary Beth Gatza)
View north, 1992 (photo by Mary Beth Gatza)
View east, 2014 (photo by Heather Wagner Slane)
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