Blair, William Allen, House
Also known as: Blair House
Why it's listed
Built in 1901 at 210 South Cherry Street in Winston-Salem, this two-story frame house is among the finest Colonial Revival residences remaining in the city. Fogle Brothers Lumber Company, a prolific local building firm, constructed it for William A. Blair and Mary Eleanor Fries Blair. No architect has been identified. The exterior has a high hipped roof, gabled dormers, a Palladian window, a wrap-around porch with Doric columns and a porte-cochere. Inside, an inverted L-shaped entrance hall with oak wainscoting opens to parlors, library and dining room through pocket doors. The house retains original floors, paneling, fixtures and lighting. It stands beside Hylehurst, the Queen Anne home of Mary Fries Blair's father, and is one of four high-style turn-of-the-century houses surviving on Cherry Street. Blair lived there for forty-seven years. He was a banker, educator and lawyer who chaired the North Carolina Board of Public Charities for forty-four years. Three generations of Fries descendants have lived on the block.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is one of only four surviving high-style turn-of-the-century residences on Cherry Street, once the finest residential boulevard in Salem and Winston, and one of the finest Colonial Revival houses remaining in the city. It is also tied to William A. Blair, a banker, educator and longtime chairman of the state Board of Public Charities, and to his family's civic, educational and religious contributions.
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 85000876, listed April 25, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 210 S. Cherry St., Winston-Salem |
|---|---|
| County | Forsyth County |
| Listed | April 25, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85000876 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | Fogle Brothers (Fogle Brothers Lumber Company); no architect identified |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in good condition, unaltered and on its original site; the form marks it unoccupied and private residence, and notes the house retains its original floors, woodwork, fixtures and light fixtures. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 36.09210, -80.24654 (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 85000876.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19460561
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.