Bollinger-Hartley House
Why it's listed
Built in 1914 by carpenter Leroy Sylvester Bollinger on a seven-acre parcel overlooking the Middle Fork of the New River, this one-and-a-half-story frame bungalow combines chestnut framing and interior finish with weatherboards and wood shingles. Bollinger, a former groundsman at the Flat Top Manor estate, sold the house in 1921 to Barnard Council Cannon, who sold it in 1924 to Fred Boyce Hartley. Hartley and his stone mason son, Fred Vaughn Hartley, made improvements between about 1929 and 1945, including a chimney of local stone around 1932 and a stone perimeter foundation around 1935 that replaced earlier piers. The house is regarded as an unusually intact example of the Craftsman bungalow in a resort town where many older houses were remodeled or lost. Its significance rests on that architectural integrity and on its connection to local builders working with native materials.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is an intact example of the Craftsman bungalow form in Blowing Rock, shaped by the blend of summer-resort styles and local materials such as chestnut and native stone. It is described as unusually well preserved, with few substantive changes after the 1940s. Its association with the Hartley stonework and the family's long occupancy adds to its importance.
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 95000172, listed March 9, 1995. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 423 N. Main St., Blowing Rock |
|---|---|
| County | Watauga County |
| Listed | March 9, 1995 |
| Reference number | 95000172 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1914; ca. 1932 |
| Architect / builder | Bollinger, Leroy Sylvester, builder; Hartley, Fred Vaughn, stonemason; Hartley, Fred Boyce, builder/carpenter |
| Architectural style | Bungalow/Craftsman |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The house is occupied seasonally and used as a weekend residence by the Filipski family, who own it. |
| Acreage | 1.4 |
| Coordinates | 36.13883, -81.67003 (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 95000172.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q20709094
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.