The Duke Mansion
The Duke Mansion, sometimes referred to as Lynnwood or White Oaks, was originally built in 1915 by Zeb Taylor in the Myers Park area of Charlotte. James Buchanan Duke bought the property in 1919 and by 1922 Charles Christian Hook tripled the size of the property to suite Duke's growing family. Duke passed away shortly after the renovation in 1925. Mrs. Duke enjoyed New York City life more than Charlotte so she sold the property in 1926 to C. C. Coddington, who owned a car dealership in Charlotte. One of the most substantial events to take place here was the establishment of the Duke Endowment which remains an important philanthropic enterprise.(1)
Hook followed the original colonial revival style of the house, in which he also specialized. Hook added "identical two story wings some distance to the west and joined the wings with an ornate two story connector, which included an elaborate pedimented entrance. Other modifications were two level porch wings at the gabled ends of the original house and matching wings on the new west section."(2) Hook's additions were substantial enough to rename him as the primary architect of the Duke mansion.
In 1998 the property was turned into a historic inn and meeting center. It operates as a bed and breakfast, a meeting place, retreat, and also accommodates many weddings throughout the year.(3) It has won the four diamond award from AAA and has a reputation for being one of the most beautiful places to stay in the Charlotte area.
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1. "The James B. Duke House," Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission, Accessed November 30, 2012. http://www.cmhpf.org.
2. Ibid.
3. "About the Duke Mansion," The Duke Mansion, Accessed November 30, 2012. http://www.dukemansion.com.