{"nrhp_refnum":"78001949","name":"Graylyn","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Reynolda Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Winston-Salem","county":"Forsyth County","state":"NC","lat":36.11646853850007,"lon":-80.28303986122742,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-08-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Landscape Architecture","Commerce","Art","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Graylyn is a large Norman Revival style mansion and estate on about 87 acres off Reynolda Road in Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, North Carolina. It was built between 1927 and 1932 for tobacco executive Bowman Gray.","why_significant":"The nomination argues Graylyn is an outstanding early twentieth century domestic landmark in North Carolina for its size, cost and luxury. It is thought to be the largest and costliest house built in the state after Biltmore House. It is also tied to Bowman Gray, a prominent president of R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, and its interiors combine reproduction period rooms with imported European architectural detail.","narrative":"Graylyn is a sprawling Norman Revival mansion in Winston-Salem, faced in yellow Randolph County stone with a slate roof and a polygonal stair tower. It sits in an English-style park designed by landscape architect Thomas W. Sears, with a garage-guest house and a stone farm complex. Bowman Gray, president of R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, had it built between 1927 and 1932, largely to the tastes of his wife, Natalie. Architect Luther Lashmit worked with Northrup and O'Brien on the design. Inside, reproduction eighteenth century English rooms sit alongside imported French and English paneling, a Mediterranean sun room, and an art-deco indoor pool. Ironwork by Joseph Barton Benson and handpainted tile add to the decoration. Thought to be the largest and costliest house in North Carolina after Biltmore House, it is considered an isolated example in the state of the opulent suburban estates common in the Northeast during the period.","period_of_significance":"1927-1932","architect_builder":"Luther Lashmit, principal architect (Northrup and O'Brien); Thomas W. Sears, landscape architect; North-Eastern Construction Company of New York, builder","architectural_style":"Norman Revival, with eclectic interiors","criteria":[],"status_note":"Marked unoccupied and in good condition on the form; owned by Wake Forest University, which was adapting it as a dormitory and social center. It had earlier served as a hospital.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:58:57.056264-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/85/7201/47720185/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/78001949.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78001949/9cb409fcbc-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78001949/9cb409fcbc-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Selleg17","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Graylyn.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Selleg17</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Graylyn.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47720185","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graylyn","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18559363"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/forsyth-county/graylyn-78001949/"}