40
WBM december 2012
Wise Like those packages beneath the
tree, the Wise House next door holds
secrets — one being a stage tucked
away in the attic. You can almost hear
the footsteps of children scurrying
around up there, just as one of the
Wise nephews once recalled from his
childhood visits.
Here too, the Friends show
restraint when decorating. The wreath
on the front door is adorned with
lemons and oyster shells. “It says
Wilmington and beach; it’s more
casual,” Gorham says, though she has
always had a passion for flowers.
“My mother used to grow flowers.
I would go to church with her
on the weekends where she’d arrange
the flowers. When I was a little girl, I
stood on the steps of Temple Baptist
Church next door and watched the
people coming and going and I used
to say, ‘If I could just go in there.’
And now, here I am,” she says, sitting
in the music room of Wise House.
Bright yellow walls are complemented
with many lemons — both
artificial and fresh — in the music
room. Pink poinsettias are placed in
the parlor. In this house, the Friends
have a little more fun because the
decorations need not last as long as
those next door. Wise House functions
take place early in the month,
while Kenan House hosts celebrations
throughout the season.
The Wise dining room is already
embellished by wallpaper that was
hand-painted in France. The ladies
design elegant floral displays to complement
the blues and greens of the
intricate hunting scenes depicted.
The tree bears more UNCW
mementos than Kenan’s, topped by
an impressive copper seahawk, created
by Louise’s son Dumay Gorham, III,