CRONLY-VEZINA COTTAGE 120 Beech Street
Shrouded by azalea and gardenia is the Cronly-Vezina House. Purchased three years ago by businessman William deRosset
Holt II, it’s described by its owner as “unique.”
With its pointed arch windows, pinnacled gable ends, and board and batten siding, the home’s Gothic-Revival Style is a
region rarity.
Built in 1885 the cottage features projecting angled bay and original floor-to-ceiling windows. Over the years, the home’s “L”
shape was expanded and the upper attic converted into living space, storage for fishing tackle or even an old-fashioned game of
hide-and-seek.
One of the oldest homes in the Wrightsville Beach area, the historic cottage was saved from demolition in 2004, and was
moved on the back of a flatbed truck from Summer Rest Road to Beech Street, just behind its original location. It took five
hours to relocate the home, simultaneously preserving the neighborhood’s soul.
Holt says when he purchased the Cronly-Vezina home in 2010, it was “move-in ready,” but he has implemented a few minor
changes such as plantation shutters.
Holt, who spent childhood summer vacations in the area from his home in Fayetteville, is proud his home is one of five
structures in the county built that year still standing.
“It is so nice to have a piece of living history,” Holt says. “It’s an old home in the midst of new ones.”
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