121 S. Boylan Ave.: A Historic Raleigh House in Peril

May is National Preservation Month, and Preservation Raleigh is on a mission to safeguard our city’s unique legacy. This month, we highlight Raleigh properties that are endangered through our Places in Peril initiative. .

The Dr. Hubert Royster House, that unique yellow shingled home you may have noticed on Boylan Ave., remains one of Raleigh’s most significant architectural and historical assets currently under threat. First identified by Preservation Raleigh as a Place in Peril in 2024, the house continues to stand at a crossroads as downtown development pressures mount.

The History of 121 South Boylan Avenue

Recent research has clarified the origins of this important frame house. While some records suggested a later purchase date, historical evidence confirms that Dr. Hubert Royster purchased the lot from the Boylan family in 1902 and immediately constructed the home in 1903.

The property was intentionally selected for its central location between the three medical centers where Dr. Royster dedicated his career: the former site of Rex Hospital, St. Agnes Hospital, and Dorothea Dix Hospital. Dr. Royster was a pioneer in North Carolina surgery and a humanitarian who provided care to patients regardless of their ability to pay—a legacy that makes the preservation of his home a matter of civic importance.

The structure itself retains a high level of material integrity, featuring its original windows, shake shingle siding, and a distinctive porte-cochere style porch. In 1927 the Roysters moved to 2318 Beechridge Road in Raleigh, a house they would call “Woodlawn’. Following the Great Depression, the house was divided into apartments, a configuration it has maintained for decades.

Dr. Royster’s most profound impact was his dedication to those often overlooked by the medical establishment of his era. As Surgeon-in-Chief at St. Agnes Hospital for over forty years, he provided high-quality surgical care to African-American patients and was deeply respected for his sense of justice and sympathy. He was equally passionate about mental health, advocating for the rights of the “unbalanced” to receive comfort and medical restoration. His legacy survives through the institutions he built and a life dedicated entirely to the public good. [Abridged and edited from https://www.hubertroyster.com/, ‘Hubert Ashley Royster, M.D.’]

An Ongoing Struggle

The peril facing the Royster House began in earnest in 2022 when the property was rezoned to allow for development up to 20 stories.  While the developers have agreed to allow a nonprofit to move the home, a permanent relocation site has not yet been secured.

Efforts by the Society for the Preservation of Historic Oakwood (SPHO) to purchase a city-owned parking lot at 411 Morson Street for the relocation have fallen through. Although the nonprofit offered $300,000 for the lot, the property was earmarked for sale to the highest bidder to fund affordable housing, with a minimum bid set at $400,000. The property is currently leased as a parking lot.

How You Can Help

Preservation Raleigh continues to advocate for the Royster House and supports the efforts of the SPHO, the owners, and the city to find a viable path forward. We believe it is possible to balance the city’s need for growth and affordable housing with the protection of our architectural inheritance.

Learn More: Visit the links below to dive deeper into the history of this site and the Royster family. 

Stay Informed: Follow our updates throughout Preservation Month as we highlight Raleigh’s most threatened historic sites.

Spread the Word: Share the story of Dr. Royster’s legacy and the current status of this 1903 home with your neighbors, developers, and other local preservation representatives. 

Further reading

• Learn more about the life and legacy of Dr. Hubert Royster
• Johnson, Anna, ‘Oakwood neighbors want to buy city parking lot to preserve historic home’, News and Observer (12 Dec 2022, updated 5 Jan 2023), https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article269727526.html#storylink=cpy
• Current interior photos: https://www.trulia.com/building/121-s-boylan-ave-121-s-boylan-ave-raleigh-nc-27603-2091083947
• Current interior photos: https://www.zillow.com/apartments/raleigh-nc/121-s-boylan-ave/9Pjw6b/?utm_campaign=zillowwebmessage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare
• Biographies from the 2011 Induction Ceremony Program: Centennial Hall of Fame Inductee Dr Hubert Ashley Royster’, https://www.raleighhalloffame.org/inductees/2011-2
• Carroll, Grady Lee Ernest, Sr., ‘Royster, Hubert Ashley’ (1994), https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/royster-hubert-ashley
• Powell, William S., ‘Royster, Hubert Ashley’, in Dictionary of North Carolina Biography (Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 2000), 5:263; https://books.google.com

Note:
The architecture survey named here misidentifies the property owned and occupied by Dr Hubert A. and Louise Royster. The Roysters never owned or occupied 131 S. Boylan Ave. Their home address was 121 S. Boylan Ave. See Wake County Register of Deeds. Historic Architecture Survey for Raleigh Union Station, Phase II – RUS Bus Project Wake County, North Carolina (July 16, 2020), https://files.nc.gov/ncdcr/historic-preservation-office/PDFs/ER_20-0299.pdf, ‘THE DR. HUBERT ROYSTER HOUSE (WA3007).