{"nrhp_refnum":"12001157","name":"Biddle, Mary Duke, Estate","other_names":["Cobb, James O., House","Pinecrest"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1044 & 1050 W. Forest Hills Blvd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Durham","county":"Durham County","state":"NC","lat":35.982552869000074,"lon":-78.91948272499997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2013-01-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A large estate of 8.562 acres at 1044 and 1050 West Forest Hills Boulevard in the Forest Hills subdivision of Durham, North Carolina, centred on the Pinecrest dwelling, a Tudor Revival house designed by George Watts Carr Sr. in 1927 and substantially remodelled for Mary Duke Biddle. The estate includes outbuildings, gardens, and recreational structures.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the estate is significant under Criterion B for its association with philanthropist Mary Lillian Duke Biddle, who lived there from 1935 to 1960 and gave generously to Duke University, Lincoln Hospital, churches and cultural organizations. It is also significant under Criterion C because the house embodies Tudor Revival design altered by Art Moderne, French Eclectic and other interior work by New York designer Karl Bock.","narrative":"Pinecrest, a large Tudor Revival house on a hill above Forest Hills Park in Durham, was designed by George Watts Carr Sr. in 1927 for developer James O. Cobb. Philanthropist Mary Lillian Duke Biddle bought it in 1935 and, working with New York designer Karl Bock, added glass-walled Moderne rooms, a kitchen in the former garage, and decorative interiors. The estate, set on 8.562 acres, includes a cottage, gardener's cottage and greenhouse, a pool, bathhouse, tennis court, pergola, and brick arches. Mrs. Biddle lived there until her death in 1960 and supported Duke University, Lincoln Hospital, and the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, which she created in 1956. The property is significant for its link to her philanthropy and for its architecture, which combines Tudor Revival massing with Art Moderne and French Eclectic interiors by Bock.","period_of_significance":"1927, 1935-1960","architect_builder":"CARR SR. GEORGE WATTS; BOCK, KARL","architectural_style":"TUDOR REVIVAL","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"Pinecrest's roof and windows were altered during the Biddle period, and the estate was preserved by Mrs. Semans after 1960; the rose garden no longer exists.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:42.028227-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/76/7200/47720076/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/12001157.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/12001157/b17ef133d6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/12001157/b17ef133d6-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jerrye &amp; Roy Klotz, MD","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MARY_DUKE_BIDDLE_ESTATE,_DURHAM_COUNTY.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jerrye &amp;amp; Roy Klotz, MD</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MARY_DUKE_BIDDLE_ESTATE,_DURHAM_COUNTY.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"05001476","name":"Forest Hills Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/north-carolina/forest-hills-historic-district-05001476/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47720076","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Duke_Biddle_Estate","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19460518"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/durham-county/biddle-mary-duke-estate-12001157/"}