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WBM july 2011
Historic
Courtyards
In Wilmington’s historic
district, homes are built on
small lots with smaller side
and front setbacks, bringing front
porches closer to the street and leaving
less space between neighbors. Gardens
here are often walled and shaped by
the built environment, giving them a
courtyard feel. Often, they are organized
in a more formal manner. Even
though it is sited on two adjoining
lots, the Hughes’ garden at the historic
George W. Williams Home on Fifth
Avenue is no exception.
Williams, a local merchant, built
the Italianate-style dwelling in 1871.
In 1922, it was divided into apartments.
Over the years, the house
and yard fell into disrepair. It was
the Hughes’ goal to return the home
and garden back to its former grandeur.
When Tom and Lucia Hughes
bought their home three years ago,
they painstakingly began restoring it,
finally engaging Plantation Building
Corporation to complete the extensive
two-year renovation.
Then they hired me to design a
garden that would be appropriate
to the time period of the home and
to the Cape Fear region. I set about
restoring the garden’s circulation paths
and organizing its spaces into a logical
and fluid sequence. This was achieved
through the use of architectural elements
including gates, walls, paths
and focal points. There is an original
wrought iron gate leading to the front
entrance of the home and wood gates
were designed to match the home’s
original fenestration.
Like many gardens in the historic
district, the Hughes’ garden is walled.
Designed to match historic brick walls
found on the property as well as lattice
details from the home’s foundation,
the walls in this garden separate and
screen the courtyard from the service
areas. Along the back of the home,
a very old and crumbling brick wall
stands as a reminder of the past.