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To purchase a print of this drawing by author/artist
Lee Pantas, visit
Cherry Orchard Studio This section of Historic Hendersonville is devoted to those sites and buildings
of architectural or historic importance that have not been covered in
previous sections.
Aloah Hotel (NRHP) 201 3rd Ave. West
 The Aloah Hotel
Building, called the Hendersonville Inn since the 1930s, is a large
three-story brick building built in the early years of the 20th century. The
building has a modest Classical Revival porch and entrance and is remarkably
unaltered on its exterior and very well preserved on the interior. One of the
few hotels in Hendersonville still operated as such, it was also known as the
Carson House and then the Hendersonville Inn. Its plain sturdy brick design and
great wraparound porch reflect comfort and integrity, and is a good example of
the type of hotel built to handle the influx of visitors and tourists to
Hendersonville in the early years. This sector of town was originally filled
with other hotels catering to the tourist boom.
Directions: From Main Street take 3rd Avenue heading west. The Aloah Hotel,
known today as the Hendersonville Inn, is on your right just beyond Church
Street.
 The Cedars (NRHP) 227 7th Ave.
The Cedars is a large 3½-story brick veneer hotel built in a Neo-Classical
Revival style. It derives its name from the large ancient cedars on the lot in
which it stands. The building is highlighted by a monumental Ionic portico that
has a deck with railing. The Cedars is the largest and one of the most important
of the historic tourist accommodations in Hendersonville. It was built in 1914
for Jennie Bailey, wife of a local Southern Railroad executive. Mrs. Bailey
and, later, her daughter operated the hotel until 1976. Today it is privately
owned and used for weddings, receptions, parties and club meetings.
Directions: Take 7th Avenue west off of Main Street.
Chewning House (NRHP) 755 North Main St.
Located on the same shady street as the Waverly Inn, Chewning House is also one
of Hendersonville’s treasures. Built sometime between 1888 and 1906 by W.A.
Smith, the inn’s original name was “The Smith-Green House.” The house underwent
a complete transformation between 1912 and 1922 when it was enlarged from a
two-story building to the present three-story structure. It is a prime example
of the simpler domestic architectural styles of the 1920s. Chewning House, like
the Waverly next door, still serves its original purpose and today is known as
the Claddagh Inn.
Directions: Located on Main Street in downtown Hendersonville.
Clarke-Hobbs-Davidson House (NRHP) 229 5th Ave. West
Built about 1907, the Clarke-Hobbs-Davidson House is one of the most imposing
historic residences remaining near downtown Hendersonville. Purchased by the
Masons in 1958, it is a 2½-story brick Queen Anne-Colonial Revival style house
that has had a rear brick wing added, nearly doubling the size of the building.
The house was probably built by Charles S. Clarke and his wife Louise, and in
1907 it was sold to Alfred J. Hobbs, and thereafter to Charles A. Hobbs and his
wife Harriet. In 1911 it was again sold to a Mrs. Davidson who left the property
to her brother Edgar Sutton and his wife Eleanor. Since that time it has had a
number of other owners, including the Ma-sons, who now operate it as a Masonic
Lodge. It is a rare example of a large brick house in Hendersonville at the time
of the tourism boom during the early part of the 20th century.
Directions: From Main Street, take 5th Avenue heading west. The
Clarke-Hobbs-Davidson House will be on your right.
 Henderson County Courthouse 200 North Grove St.
Dedicated on April 29, 1995, the Henderson County Courthouse occupies
approximately 99,100 square feet on a 13-acre site. Designed by Grier-Fripp
Architects of Charlotte, NC, and built by M.B. Kahn Construction Company of
Greenville, SC, this imposing structure replaced the historic old courthouse on
Main Street.
The ceilings in the lobby and court waiting areas are painted to resemble the
sky with clouds. The clock over the main steps is over five feet in diameter,
and the grounds are planted with Japanese Yoshino cherry trees, Japanese Zelkova,
and Sugar Maples.
Directions: Located in downtown Hendersonville on North Grove Street. North
Grove Street parallels North Main Street and is two blocks to the east.
 King-Waldrop House (NRHP) 103 South Washington St.
The King-Waldrop House was built around 1881 and shows features of both the
Queen Anne and the Italianate building styles. Its main feature is a square
three-stage cupola with a concave pyramidal roof. The general condition of the
house is excellent and both the inside, with its dark woodwork and Victorian
detailing, and the outside are little altered. The house is an excellent example
of the large spacious residences built for the wealthy in Hendersonville in the
1880s. It is one of the few surviving 19th century dwellings in downtown
Hendersonville. It was built for Laura V. King, the daughter of Colonel
Valentine Ripley, one of Hendersonville’s earliest businessmen and
entrepreneurs. In 1897, Laura King and Dr. J.G. Waldrop traded houses, and the
residence was then titled “Maple Grove” by Dr. Waldrop, who occupied the home
with his wife, Nancy, and their eight children.
Directions: Take First Avenue west from Main Street and turn left onto
Washington Street. The King-Waldrop House is on your right at 103.
 Mary Mills Coxe House (NRHP) 1210 Greenville Hwy.
The Mary Mills Coxe House is located south of Hendersonville on the Greenville
Highway, formerly known as Flat Rock Road. Built around 1911 as a single family
residence, it is notable as one of only a handful of pebbledash houses remaining
in Henderson County. A Colonial-Revival style dwelling, it is two-and-a-half
stories and has as distinctive features a large porch formed by fifteen columns
and a roof of pressed metal shingles. The house was built by Mary Mills Coxe,
widow of Colonel Franklin Coxe, one of the more influential and wealthy men in
Henderson and Buncombe counties. The building is significant historically since
it is a very well-preserved pebbledash house that is a rare, unchanged structure
that has not been modernized stylistically. The pebbledash stucco walls reflect
the influence of noted Asheville architect Richard Sharp Smith.
Directions: Take Main Street heading south. This street turns into Greenville
Highway. The Mary Mills Coxe House is on your left heading toward Flat Rock.
 Reese House (NRHP) 202 South Washington St.
The Reese House, built in 1885 by Harriet Louise and William Reese is one of the
best preserved Queen Anne style houses in Hendersonville. Wonderfully restored,
the house boasts rich, red heart of pine floors, seven fireplaces and
hand-carved gingerbread moldings. On the front lawn is a buckeye tree that was
one of the original plantings.
Directions: Just down the street to the south of the King-Waldrop House on South
Washington Street.
 St. James Episcopal Church 766 North Main St.
St. James Episcopal Church, located on Main Street in downtown Hendersonville,
is one of the area’s most picturesque churches. Consecrated in 1861, the first
rector was Rev. N. Collin Hughes. From 1970 to 1980, Henderson County
experienced an unprecedented population growth. New economic developments,
discovery of Hendersonville as an outstanding retirement area, and growth in
tourism marked this period. Consequently, St. James Church flourished and became
the largest parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina during
that time.
Directions: Located on North Main Street.
T homas Wolfe’s Angel, Oakdale Cemetery, Hwy. 64 West
The marble angel statue immortalized by Thomas Wolfe in his novel Look Homeward
Angel now stands at Oak-dale Cemetery in Hendersonville. The statue was imported
from Carrara, Italy by Wolfe’s father, and was bought by members of the Johnson
family after the death of Mrs. Johnson in 1905. The gravesite belongs to Reverend
and Mrs. H.F. Johnson and their son. In 1975, when the statue was accidentally
knocked from its stand, the Henderson County Commissioners had the graves
enclosed with a six-foot tall iron picket fence set on a stone wall. This still
allows visitors to view the statue and reduces the possibility of damage to the
monument.
Directions: From downtown Hendersonville, take Highway 64 west. Look for Oakdale
Cemetery on your left. The Angel Statue is visible from the road, and the
location is indicated by a State Highway Marker.
 The Waverly Inn (NRHP) 783 North Main St.
Built just after 1898, the Waverly Inn is a three-story Queen Anne style inn.
The third story was added in 1910 after a fire did extensive roof damage. With
the exception of minor changes, the Waverly has undergone relatively little
change and is in remarkably pristine condition. The interior boasts a
magnificent Eastlake style stair and twenty-one guest rooms, with seventeen
bathrooms. Today the Waverly is still operated as an inn.
Directions: Located at 783 North Main Street in downtown Hendersonville.
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