Josephus Daniels House
Josephus Daniels House | |
Location | 1520 Caswell St., Raleigh, North Carolina |
---|---|
Coordinates | 35°47′56.65″N 78°38′50.43″W / 35.7990694°N 78.6473417°W |
Area | 3 acres (12,000 m2)[1] |
Built | 1920 |
Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
Demolished | 2021 |
NRHP reference No. | 76001342 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | December 8, 1976[2] |
Designated NHL | December 8, 1976[3] |
The Josephus Daniels House, also known as Wakestone, and later the Masonic Temple of Raleigh, was a historic
Description and History
The former Daniels House was named Wakestone by Josephus' wife,
Wakestone was also described as "the world's smallest naval base". According to local lore, upon his retirement from the Navy, Daniels asked that a naval gun be placed in his front yard. In order to complete his request, supposedly, a small part of the property had to be designated as a naval base. While it remained, the gun was located in front of the building's front porch.[5]
The front facade of the house was dominated by a four-column Neoclassical Greek portico, its columns capped by Egyptian capitals, and supporting a fully pedimented gable. The main entrance was flanked by sidelight windows and pilasters, which rose to an architrave and an iron-balustraded balcony for the second floor. The interior of the house retained many fine finishes, although some of its upstairs bedrooms had been converted into meeting spaces, and much of the eastern outer wall was removed to provide access to the large meeting wing.[1]
Daniels was also a newspaper editor from the 1880s until his death - For decades he managed The News & Observer in Raleigh, at the time North Carolina's largest circulation newspaper. He and his newspaper "championed the white supremacy cause in frequent news reports, vigorously worded editorials, provocative letters, and vicious front page cartoons that called attention to what the newspaper called the horrors of 'negro rule.'"[6] Daniels argued that as long as African Americans had any political power, they would block progressive reforms.[7]
Fate
In February 2021, the Raleigh City Council voted to revoke the property's historic landmark status, reportedly due to its association with Josephus Daniels, who, in addition to being a vehement
The house was bought on 10 March 2021 by Beacon Street Caswell LLC and was torn down in August 2021.[8]
See also
- List of National Historic Landmarks in North Carolina
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Wake County, North Carolina
- Josephus Daniels biographical page
References
- ^ a b c d e Mary Jane Gregory; Ralph Christian; George R. Adams (January 1976). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Josephus Daniels House; Wakestone / Masonic Temple of Raleigh" (pdf). National Park Service.
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(help) and Accompanying two photos, exterior, from 1975 (32 KB) - ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ a b "Josephus Daniels House". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on August 22, 2007. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
- ^ "Josephus Daniels House". National Park Service. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
- ^ Beal, Candy Lee Metz (1992). Raleigh: The First 200 Years. p. 79.
- .
- ISBN 9781469606958.
- ^ Stradline, Richard; Johnson, Anna (August 2, 2021). "Developer seeks permit to demolish historic mansion of Josephus Daniels". The News and Observer. Retrieved June 9, 2022.