Early twentieth-century suburbs in North Carolina: essays on history, architecture and planning

              The opportunjba 01 purchuen in all)' aahurban ted.ion ~ atwa,.. creattr than it poMibk in the crowded pub
01 the City. The: open air. the .bundant 1Uruhine. frudom from cftut and noille, all _e ...burt-n life .Unctift.
Frequently, howrter. there are objec.tiona. wNch to MWne ment Glild theM: pn't'iJep. MlMid)' ro.ds in winter.
Lick of side••lb. no ... for cooI.:inc, inacuaibllity ollJU'Y&ntl. lack ol cit)' J'DI.iI 0ebYU')' ud pocery ddinry .. WIll
u ~ndy xtded commWlitta make life in tome .ectioN Ia. montinc.
In order to ranove ally objecttontth.t milht.rite. we hue incurred the espente,.tW:h wu done.t peat apena,
of It.yinc complete w.ter and ICWU q.tans. puttinl down concnte side .alb and tand-dayed aU tMdI in the pnp­my.
We hue IeCUred .t. free city mail tklivery. and all the principalltora in the city dcliwr pattda witMut atra
<hua~
One who hu never lived in ••uburbt.n ledaon can hardly realize what u-e aci¥antaan ..-n. To be I.Ione in •
detacMd hou.e with .emu. illneN in the family: to be compelled to 10 up town when medicine i.t needed: to be """bk
to let • muu.le to • neiahbor without Ireat trouble: to walk throulh the mud to the neuat. car line: to be compelled
to pay ch.a,..eI on all lrocene. that &fe delivered: to w.it on the .Iow ten'tee 01 the rural route. fOl' mail; an matter.
that demand teriou. CONider.tion of every pI"OIpKtive home builder.
We will undertake to alve below tome of the opportunitia that we have proftled for Camotnlft Park. which are not
found in the uu.llUburban pnlpef'ty. We tnut that you will read the.e over, and when you an rNdy to buy • home
it may be 01 tomt advanule to you to knc;n.- what c:onvmimcet .uburban propert)' OUPl: to provide. and to haft it ill
your mind what tJUnp you will need in order to enjoy you auburban home.
GAS and ELECTRJCITY- TheIe con-uenca are beinc fumitbed to aU the oa:vputl.l J Camtr.t Park at the:
MIne rate and with the aame terYicc that .. aiwn for ~lown terYia.
WAlCR and SEWER-Ewery iot frnnh. water main and h.u IeWU either in hunt.« in the rear. n. ..ter"
auwlied at the city meter rata. 'The creatcf put 01 the maiN are 6-ioch. all u. othe:n are 4-incL 1Na danh aa
YnWUaUy coed praIUI'L The ICW'tt I)'Item it c:annecud witlt the city main&. and it .t the Ia'Tiat J each occupuat
without cha,..
CAR SERVICE-A. will be ;" tn. .a..duk cI the Stnd c... CompoaY. the an _ ... HiIIoboro Stnd
eVerJ 6ftem minutd cae.h -..y. P identical ~ u as pwen up town.
FIRE PROTECTION-Full fiu Ktion ha, """ Uutallal ;" 011 the .......,. ";lNn the city I.............
nery lot within SOO fed. of • h~t.
THE PARKS-About twenty .ues of beautiful pam hu been rne:rftd u recreataon ~f. the chs'1dren and
lrown-upl. Some cI thae parka are npecially .ttractive. c:ontaininc trca of aImo.t e~ natift variety and riYal the
mount.in valu in their natural beauty.
LAWN5-A. will be I«ft in Ultriction... 'the houJet .re .11 tel back .t InK 20 fed. from the property line. Thil
live. a .enet of attractive lawns on e.ch .ide 01 the .trtell. Each home owner pridn himaelf on h.. If'" and Rowrrt.
The rewlt it livinl Cameron Park the pretttat 1.wn1 of any Ied.ion in Raleich-
THE SIDEWALKS-Conc.rd.e tidew.1k••re laid in front cJ e.ch lot. and I.R continuow from nch. k.( to the car
liM. HoweYn' bad and muddy the weather "",y be. one ean walk a". .hod from Nt __ to the car. and~
rnch h.. home without plowina tlIrouah. the mud.
11-fE STREETS-For the tnOIt put the drivew.y. are called....cla. and an laid of .so feet wtde. Bennehan Strert
it 40 feet wide; the driveway. on each .ide 01 the parb .re)() fed wide. .. u..e. an only hair Jt.reeU. E.c:h road and
drivc it aand-dayed to. deptlI of 12 inchca. Th. w,.11 IPveI. li,... rodted in the wont wath«. and wiD la.about 10
yean. It i•• put comfort to live en I. ledion where the roads arc:~in the wiAter time. and the fKt that we
M"#tl aood .lred.l it one: of the ttroncat pointl in fl.'" 01 Cameron. Park.
SHADE lR~T'ht Itrew that have been compkud haft .lnad)' been tret in Ntift tt'ft:l, 1UCh ....... din.
beech. oU and maple. and Park Drive hu been Jet in Norway Mapla. T\c other Jtnda. .. lOOn .. thq han bem
mrIde ready, will be planted in pretty ,hade ttea. nu. will add • I"*t'" to the bnuty el the property. and
•bo to the pkuurt: and comfort 01 the ottUp&nta.
SOCIAl. CONDITIONS-Every one who it f.mil.... with R.kiP r~ that Camtnn Park m;o,. the hnt
1«..1«lnditions ...iLibk to our city. There.,e no poor Itdiona. Then an: no bad.pproM:hn. I" fact. then i.
nothinl that .nyone need ,,~u for in .ny w.y. CarnMlft Park d ~t" dmr.bk ... home pIaca for
thote who with to put tMmtelvei in touch. witlt the bnt 10(...1condit.iona.
RESTRICTIONS-In openinl • larp KCtion 01 new ptoperl.y there it alway. Med 01 UN" to the manMf ift whic:h
it .. placed on the markg. No one who .ppreci.ta the inRumce of envirolunmt an the child lilt will bwW .... home
in. community where eonditaon••re uncertli". For the .bon rulClfl it hu been thouaht bat to piau: IUdl rnlric.·
tton. on tlte property •• will properly ufquard the intere.t 01 thoee who hut been tood moulh to make thrit hornet
in Cameron P.rk. The rntrictionJ are •• few and .. Jimp1e •• we could make them. We are pleaMd to Ny that tho.
who han boucht Iott have madt but little objection to any J thne ralnct.ionl. whic.h Ire u foUow.:
Fir.. That no buildinp other than ruidmcn. ucept bt.ma, ltabla or out-houltl ".ed 'or domestic P"1"pOIft
tolely ahall be built upon the ..id land.
Stalftll. lnat no part 01 any .tructure built upoo the laid Lind .han be nnrer to the front line than 20 ftd. TA,,'. That the~thall not be occupted by fttIJ'OeI or penoN 01 ttqrO blood: provided. tNt u.u ah,aU not
be CONtrued to prevmt the Ii""" upon the praniln 01 aft)' nepo .no it aDPIo7ed for domatit: purpoeeI by the:
occupul.l of the dwellins howes an laid Land.
F..,rtJ.. That no plp or hop ....0 be kept UpCIft the. praniJel in any manner .....uoewr.
FifU. 1n.t only one dwdlinc thall be CONlNded upon I. lot. aDd that nd. dwll.... 10 COftItnlCteci Il e.-
nol Iaa than $3.000.00 (the word 4ot.. .hall be conItJ'WCI to ....... ~ J Land the Ii" ...d~ .
the: map relfueci to .bo"e), and e.ch. dwrlq houR built upon the prftI'li.Ia thall be e:-ntdtd .t the apenIe J the
0WnfT with the common tewer.
1M won1I J ~t and oplanalion u..t COIM to you with the pirtunI 1M" f. the MOlt put~.. print
before. IOrM in the form 01 our own l.I"(UInCftu f. you to buy. 1lwy an IIOUnd ~u. u J'II.I who pwc:hu.d
wtU know. Othen 01 than haft come: to lP wuoIic.ited.. and DprnI apift .... new and "inal _" ..-n ......
)'CM.ln. What 01 merit there ma)' be in the whole belonp to you u well .. to w. and it II WIth I. .,. J rei~
that we o'er you thil tributa to your foreNIht and Cf:IIOIMnttion in d ... build... up oIlhi1 wootL
nt£ PARKER-HUNTER REALTY COMPANY.
Sales brochures such as this used far Cameron Park in 1914,
spelled out the ~pectations of developers and prospective
residents of the new suburbs.
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of success. Glenwood, Boylan Heights, and Cameron Park
offered that opportunity, an opportunity ensured through its
association with established power.
The neighborhoods were able to take advantage of public
works that already existed. were planned, or could be success­fully
proposed. The streetcar lines. for example, either existing
or proposed, ran close by these new suburbs. Tracks ran down
the center ofGlenwood Avenue to the north side oftown. The
single track down Hillsborough Street to the A. & M. College
was doubled in 1908. All the rww suburbs were also located
between the downtown and important existing or planned
amusement parks. Pullen Park lay west of Boylan Heights and
slightly to the west and south ofCameron Park which also had
easy access to the fairgrounds. located then at the present site of
the Raleigh little Theater. Bloomsbury, a park planned and
developed by Carolina Power and light Company, was to be at
the end of the Glenwood Avenue streetcar line.
Platted on land that had been the sites of great plantations.
the suburbs represented an economic system for maintaining
wealth and power based on new patterns of landholding and
tenancy. Some areas ofthese new neighborhoods were specula­tively
developed and all were controlled by covenantsconcemmg
the relative costs of hou to be built. The large numbers and
small izes of the lots Id, as well as the mall interior park
spaces, uggest that the developers wanted the highe t po ible
return on the initial inve onent when the land was purchased.
And yet this design shows the changes being wrought by growth.
industrialization, and urbanization. Familie no I nger needed
large building lots; outbuildings were now much more limited in
number because ofutilitie . People could confine all activity to a
single dwelling and still have a yard and garden on a small plot,
which is precisely what happened in Glenwood, Boylan Heights,
and Cameron Park.
The neighborhood were developed for profit, as a look at
their architectural style and social make-up suggests. The
emerging lower-middle and middle c1asse who bought these
houses sought security and tatus, needs directly related to the
changing social and racial structure of the city and tate.
Picturesque Retreats
The idea of uburbs, as it had emerged in America after
1850. was based on wealth. mobility. and tatuS as well as the
desire to remove people from unpleasant urban life to a
picturesque. sometimes romantic, rural-Like setting. These
amenities were achieved by controlled density. heavy planting.