by Chris Crew and Ian F.G. Dunn
During Preservation Month, Preservation Raleigh is highlighting locations facing threats through our Places in Peril (PIP) series. This article focuses on The William Harvey and Effie Lytle House. Located at 519 S. Blount St, this historic home holds significant links to prominent African American figures and Raleigh’s Civil Rights movement but currently faces threats from recent tax revaluation and potential incompatible development.
History and Significance
The parcel at 519 South Blount was purchased by William Harvey and Effie Lytle in 1908. The house was completed either late 1908 or early 1909.
Effie C. Wortham Lytle was born around 1869 in Raleigh to Samuel and Annie Wortham. She was one of the first two African American nurses to be educated in North Carolina, she was in first class at SAHSON and graduated in 1898. She worked as a private duty nurse in Raleigh until she married William H. Lytle on 12-12-1905. Effie was a nursing school graduate of Hampton Institute (now University) an HBCU. She was one of the first 2 African American nursing graduates in NC from St. Agnes Hospital School of Nursing in 1898 under Dr. Hubert Royster.
William was a baker and their son, William Winslow Lytle, attended the Shaw University school of dentistry, but died in 1914 at the age of 24 from tuberculosis. William Harvey died in 1925 and his wife Effie continued to live in the house until she moved to live with her daughter Corrine in Philadelphia in 1947.
Effie Lytle’s heirs sold the property to Charles Garfield Irving, Sr. Irving was a civil rights leader, founder of the Raleigh NAACP, newspaperman and co-founder of Irving-Swain Press. Charles Sr. worked at The Carolinian, an African American Bi-weekly newspaper founded in 1940 and still in circulation. Irving rented out the house for decades. The house was the office of The Carolinian for some time.
Former Raleigh mayoral candidate Charles T. Francis is the grandson of Charles G. Irving Sr.. The house is currently owned by the heirs of Charles G. Irving, Jr..
For a time starting in 1954 the property was associated with Raleigh’s second black attorney, Fred J. Carnage. He was instrumental in the development of the John Chavis Memorial Park; in 1949, he became the first black person to serve on the Raleigh School Board, and the second black person to serve on a local school board anywhere in NC. In 1965, the Raleigh School Board named a new Southeast Raleigh Junior High School in his honor.
The value of the property lies in its location within the Prince Hall Historic District, the first HOD in Raleigh recognizing the contributions of African Americans to the city’s history and culture, its subtle vernacular charm, and its links to Raleigh’s role in the Civil Rights movement and African American culture in general.
Architectural / Physical Description
This two story side hall with Queen Ann ornamentation was built ca 1909. Currently it is a 5.5 bathroom, multi family home with 1816 square feet of living area. Located at 519 S. Blount St, it sits on a small lot (roughly 11,000 sf) within the Prince Hall Historic District.
The Threat: Why Is It a Place in Peril?
In addition to absentee ownership and vacant status, a principle threat to this otherwise charming house is the recent tax revaluation that places the value of the small lot (roughly 11, 000 sf) at $1.8 million. The value of the lot, and a recent Raleigh City Council decision to honor a request by a speculative property owner to remove a nearby lot from the Prince Hall Historic Overlay district to allow development not deemed compatible with the character of the district sets a dangerous course for the future of the structure and the Historic District Designation.
The Opportunity: Potential positive outcomes
The opportunity lies in preventing the loss of this historic resource. Finding a preservation-minded steward who understands its historical context and is committed to its rehabilitation is crucial. The property currently has limited protection offered by its Historic Overlay Zoning designation in the Prince Hall District. However, the threat includes the potential for a zoning change request to remove this designation. Protecting the property from such a zoning change request is paramount. Raising awareness about the house’s significance and the threat it faces is necessary to encourage a preservation-oriented outcome.
Call to Action
Should this property change hands and become subject to a zoning change request removing the limited protection offered by its Historic Overlay Zoning designation in the Prince Hall District another loose thread in Raleigh’s historic fabric could be pulled, leading to the unraveling of decades of preservation work. The loss of this historic structure could further erase another of the few remaining links to Raleigh’s vibrant late 19th and early 20th African American Community and its part in the Civil Rights movement.
How Can People Help?
- Share this story to raise awareness about the significance of this house and the threats facing it and the Prince Hall Historic District.
- Stay informed about any potential zoning change requests regarding this property or others within the Prince Hall Historic District.
- Support Preservation Raleigh’s advocacy efforts for historic places like the Lytle House
- If you have information or resources that could help preserve this property, contact Preservation Raleigh at info@preservationraleigh.org.
Conclusion
The potential loss of this historic structure could further erase another of the few remaining links to Raleigh’s vibrant late 19th and early 20th African American Community and its part in the Civil Rights movement. Preservation of the William Harvey and Effie Lytle House is essential to maintaining the integrity of the Prince Hall Historic District and honoring the significant contributions of the Black citizens associated with this place. Its future depends on recognizing its value and actively working to protect it from incompatible development pressures.
Sources:
- https://rhdc.org/raleigh-historic-resources/raleigh-historic-districts/Prince_Hall
- https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/519-S-Blount-St-Raleigh-NC-27601/6401944_zpid/
- https://www.wcpss.net/Page/11848
- https://abc11.com/st-agnes-hospital-saint-augustines-university/5103131/
- 1898, Apr 22. First Commencement, The Nurses Training School of St. [Agnes] Hospital Turns Out Two Graduates. The Press-Visitor, p.1. Raleigh, North Carolina.
Resources:
https://hbcudigitallibrary.auctr.edu/digital/collection/stad/id/124/rec/28
https://kids.kiddle.co/St.Agnes_Hospital(Raleigh,_North_Carolina)
