By Liz Moomey

liz.moomey@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — A tied vote Tuesday to designate the Grubb-Sigmon-Weisiger House as a local historic landmark caused the city council to backtrack and defer consideration to its March 3 meeting.

The designation for the 1911 Queen Anne farm house, located at 213 S. McCoy Road, was voted for by Mayor Pro Tem Al Heggins and Councilwoman Tamara Sheffield. Voting against were Mayor Karen Alexander and Councilman David Post. Councilman Brian Miller was absent from the meeting.

Because of the tie, City Attorney Graham Corriher said the ordinance failed because of a lack of a majority. Then, Post told the council he was willing to withdraw the decision to keep the ordinance alive. The move, Corriher said, also allows for a better understanding of the ordinance and if the council could send it back to the Historic Preservation Commission, which recommended the designation. 

A designation grants a tax credit.

Senior Planner Catherine Garner, the commission’s liaison, said some commission members were unsure about the procedure of the historic designation and wanted some training from the State Historic Preservation Office about how to vet properties wanting the designation. She said the commission wants to see “the best of the best “and for Salisbury to continue to be a leader in preservation.

The Depot and Empire Hotel are existing local historic landmarks in Salisbury.

Alexander said the difference in the house’s application and previous ones is that the older ones were significant properties that are commercial in nature.

“If we’re not very careful, there are significant and more significant properties in the city that are already in the designated historic districts,” Alexander said. “You’re talking about 50% here, 50% here and 50% here. You’re talking about a huge amount to a city budget.”

Heggins said the homeowner made a request for the designation to add protections to the property. She said discussions about the lack of procedure should not impact the application.

Sheffield said she did not want to push things “down and around.” The designation is to ensure a piece of history stays in Salisbury.

Applicant Karen C. Lilly-Bowyer said the designation symbolizes that someone wanted the property to stay and that a person was willing to give up some rights. The local designation gives the home protection from changes, she said. With the designation, for example, owners would have to replace a roof with the same material and color.

“If you really want to preserve a piece of property, get it designated by your local officials, because then you get some teeth in it,” Lilly-Bowyer said. “You have the tax benefit for one thing, but you also have the right to demand that things be taken care of they way their supposed to be.”

She said designations show what properties the city wants to stay for the next generations. 

Lilly-Bowyer, echoing comments submitted by the State Historic Preservation Office, said the house is significant because it’s a surviving example of an elaborate late Victorian/Queen Anne style farmhouse in Rowan County. The Grubb-Sigmon-Weisiger House along with the grounds became the centerpiece of the small, suburban, estate-making efforts in the 1920 and 1930s and still contributes to Salisbury and Rowan County’s social history, she said. It was also recognized by the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

Lilly-Bowyer admitted there were a lot of Queen Anne style homes in Salisbury but not one that was a farm house as well.

Lilly-Bowyer also spoke about the original owners, Henry Clay Grubb, Ross Minish Sigmon and Leslie Marshall Weisiger.

Grubb was the owner of one of Salisbury’s largest distilleries, was tried for the murder of his brother-in-law and built what was the tallest steel structure building in North Carolina at the time, The Plaza. Grubb was murdered by his wife.

Sigmon was the developer of Milford Hills. He built a playhouse for his daughter on the property.

Weisiger made minimal exterior changes to the property. He rebuilt the old servants’ quarters and refurbished it to become a guesthouse.

Alexander said the council’s approval or denial of the designation would set precedent for future local historic designations for residences.