Page-Walker Hotel, historic house in North Carolina, United States
The Page-Walker Hotel is a building in Second Empire style in Cary, North Carolina, with distinctive mansard roofs, tall windows, and ornate details. Its brickwork and decorative elements around the roof and windows show careful craftsmanship that makes it stand out from nearby structures.
The building was constructed in 1868 by Allison Francis Page, founder of Cary, and originally served as a railroad hotel for travelers. After 1884 under J.R. Walker's ownership, it operated in this role until 1916, when it transitioned to a private residence.
The building is named after J.R. Walker and his wife Nancy, who bought it in 1884 and ran it for decades. Later, teachers and high school students from Cary rented rooms here, showing how the place became part of daily community life beyond just serving travelers.
The site is now the Page-Walker Arts & History Center where visitors can take guided tours through the building and surrounding gardens plus an old smokehouse structure. Inside you will find a museum, galleries, and archives with local history information.
Notably, this is the only building of its style outside Raleigh in Wake County, making it architecturally rare for the region. A 1990s addition was designed so carefully with respectful details that it won an award for successfully preserving the historic character.
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