Blandwood

Blandwood is a building that was originally a two-story farmhouse, which has been added upon twice as it usage was changed. When adding onto an already existing structure, it is hard to make the new addition mesh well with what is already standing. Since this structure has two additions to the original house, the three separate parts are all extremely different. The architects all did construction fundamentally different, and sometimes not in the most practical way for the area in which the house was built. For example, the ceilings in bedrooms the newest section of the house are very low, which is not the best idea for the warm North Carolina climate.

The Morehead family probably found it important to keep updating the structure in order to make sure their wealth was easily noticeable. The Italiante style of load-bearing brick and stucco is not typical of the surrounding area. There is a large tower on the front of the building, which is very noticeable to anyone passing by. The stucco on the inside of the building has very ornate patterns in it. The chandeliers in the front rooms are large and very fancy. There is a set of matching furniture with many different pieces, which was very expensive at the time. All of the trim has feux finishing to make it look even more expensive at first glance. There is also a large sideboard in the dining room to show off how well off the family was.



People in the surrounding town probably took a lot of interest in the unique-looking building on the edge of town. Although it looked new and had recent additions, the building was originally constructed in 1795 and predates Greensboro itself. This would have lessened interest slightly, but I assume as the new sections were added onto the house, many people would have been intrigued about what it looked like on the inside. This would have brought a lot of attention to the Governor's family and how much money they had.