Blake House
Also known as: Newington; Royal Pines; Joseph B. Pyatt House
Why it's listed
Built around 1850 in Arden, Buncombe County, this limestone house sits near the center of a three-quarter-acre lot, surrounded by an early twentieth-century neighborhood. The two-story, five-bay building has a hip roof, steep cross gables with trefoil vents, curving bargeboards, and limestone drip moldings over windows and doors. Walls are rough-cut stone twenty-two inches thick. Inside, a center-hall plan carries Greek Revival touches such as two-panel doors and post-and-lintel mantels, along with walnut trim, plaster medallions and a three-run staircase. A kitchen wing was added in 1907, with later kitchen additions in the 1940s and 1970s to 1980. The estate, once called Newington, passed through the Blake family and was sold in 1925 to developers who platted the Royal Pines subdivision and renamed the house for it. After several owners, it became a bed and breakfast in 1990. Its design draws on A.J. Downing's Cottage Residences.
Significance in brief: The house combines high-style Gothic Revival exterior features with Greek Revival-influenced interior finishes, and its plan relates to a design in A.J. Downing's Cottage Residences (1842). It is also tied to the Blake family and to the 1920s Royal Pines subdivision that grew from the estate. The nomination certifies local significance.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 10000600, listed August 30, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 150 Royal Pines Dr, Arden |
|---|---|
| County | Buncombe County |
| Listed | August 30, 2010 |
| Reference number | 10000600 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival; Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently operating as a bed and breakfast, with a c. 1985 carriage house used as a residence and guest cottage. |
| Acreage | 0.6 |
| Coordinates | 35.47440, -82.51661 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 10000600.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q17985951
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.