North Carolina Architects and Builders - A Biographical Dictionary

Coming Soon

NC Architects and Builders is a growing system. We will post this entry as soon as it is ready.

Norton, Charles H. (1857-1901)

Birthplace: Virginia, USA
Residences:
  • Durham, North Carolina
Trades:
  • Builder
NC Work Locations:
  • Durham, Durham County
  • Durham
Building Types:
  • Educational;
  • Public;
  • Religious;
  • Residential
Styles & Forms:
  • Queen Anne;
  • Romanesque Revival

First National Bank [Durham]

View larger image and credits

First National Bank [Durham]

Title: Durham, N.C. First National Bank
Citation:
"Durham, N.C. First National Bank," Durwood Barbour Collection of North Carolina Postcards (P077), North Carolina Postcards, North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Source:

Biography

Charles H. Norton (1857-1901), a builder in Durham in the 1890s, came from his native Virginia in 1888 to help rebuild Durham after a major downtown fire. Among his first projects was construction of a Romanesque Revival style commercial building, the E. J. Parrish Building, for pioneer tobacco merchant Parrish. Like other builders who arrived in Durham as the ashes were cooling, Norton found opportunities among leaders eager to rebuild the whistle-stop town of frame structures into a city of substantial and eclectic brick buildings.

Norton served as contractor for leading industrialists such as the Duke and Watts families. Within a short span he built a large annex to the Dukes' tobacco factory plus two cotton mills in industrial Italianate styles: the Chateauesque-Queen Anne style First National Bank Building; and the Gothic Revival style First Presbyterian Church. For the newly formed county, he built the Durham County Courthouse (1887-1889) in brick with a central, mansard-roofed tower from designs by architect Byron A. Pugin. He also undertook construction of the towered, Romanesque Revival style Trinity College Main Building (1890-1891) at Trinity College, designed by architect Samuel Linton Leary for the college that, with Duke family support, had just established a campus in Durham. Trouble ensued when the tower collapsed, causing a bitter debate and delaying the opening of the college. The edifice was rebuilt by William J. Hicks, after the college replaced Leary but kept Norton on the job.

In 1896 Norton was injured when his buggy was hit by a train as he and his co-passenger, architect A. G. Bauer, were traveling to a building site (Durham's First Baptist Church). Bauer suffered lasting injuries, but Norton recovered and resumed his practice in 1897 with a towered, brownstone mansion, the George W. Watts House. The Durham Record reported on February 11, 1896, that Norton, the "well-known contractor" was to build the $75,000-$100,000 residence and that "architects"--unnamed and as yet unidentified--had been "working on the plans since the first part of January." A notice in the Durham Record on April 16, 1900, stated that "Architect, Builder and Contractor" Norton "draws his own designs" and listed his works. In 1900 the census showed Norton as "architect-builder" in Durham with wife, Nannie, and three young children. He continued to build factories and had a contract for a cotton mill in Charleston before his unexpected death in 1901. In Durham, nearly all of the buildings of the 1890s boom years have fallen to fires and extensive rebuilding that began in the early 20th century and essentially erased the 19th century downtown. Briefly the pride of Durham, Norton's diverse and imposing works survive only in photographs.

Author: William B. Bushong. Update: Catherine W. Bishir.

Published 2009

Building List

First Baptist Church (Durham, Durham County)

Durham Durham

1877

Contributors:
Dates: 1877; ca. 1895-1896 [remodeled]
Location: Durham, Durham County
Street Address: N. Mangum St., Durham, NC
Status: No longer standing
Type:
  • Religious
Images Published In:
  • William B. Bushong, "A. G. Bauer, North Carolina's New South Architect," North Carolina Historical Review, Vol. 60, No. 3 (July, 1983).
  • Joel A. Kostyu and Frank A. Kostyu, Durham: A Pictorial History (1978).
Title:
Citation:
Source:

Durham County Courthouse (Durham, Durham County)

Durham Durham

1887

Contributors:
Dates: 1887-1889
Location: Durham, Durham County
Street Address: Durham, NC
Status: No longer standing
Type:
  • Public
Images Published In:
  • Joel A. Kostyu and Frank A. Kostyu, Durham: A Pictorial History (1978).
  • Claudia P. Roberts (Brown) and Diane E. Lea, The Durham Architectural and Historic Inventory (1982).
Note:

The Manufacturers' Record (July 16, 1887) reported that Ellington, Royster, and Company of Raleigh had received the contract to build the courthouse in Durham for $12,000. Their role was confirmed in the Durham Tobacco Plant's account (November 23, 1887) of the cornerstone laying. The courthouse, designed by architect Byron A. Pugin, was a large brick structure with a tower.

View larger image and credits

Durham County Courthouse

Title: Durham, N.C., County Court House
Citation:
"Durham, N.C., County Court House," Durwood Barbour Collection of North Carolina Postcards (P077), North Carolina Postcards, North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Source:

Trinity College Main Building (Durham, Durham County)

Durham Durham

1890

Variant Name(s):
  • Washington Duke Building
Contributors:
Dates: 1890s
Location: Durham, Durham County
Street Address: Trinity College Campus (now East Campus, Duke University), Durham, NC
Status: No longer standing
Type:
  • Educational
Images Published In:
  • Joel A. Kostyu and Frank A. Kostyu, Durham: A Pictorial History (1978).
  • Claudia P. Roberts (Brown) and Diane E. Lea, The Durham Architectural and Historic Inventory (1982).
Note:

In addition to rebuilding the collapsed tower of the Main Building of the new Trinity College campus, according to a contemporary, Hicks superintended other brick buildings of the 1890s. See Robert L. Ferguson, "Colonel William J. Hicks," Annual Publication of Historical Papers, Trinity College (1898). Of the original three buildings of the 1890s, Main Building is no longer standing, Epworth Inn (a frame structure) is much altered, and Crowell Hall stands relatively unaltered. No specific documentation of Hicks's role in building Crowell has been located. Moreover, it should be noted that John F. Crowell's Personal Recollections of Trinity College recalls that Richard Baxter Bassett, father of Trinity professor John Spencer Bassett, supervised the construction of Crowell Science Building.

View larger image and credits

Trinity College Main Building

Title: Durham, N.C., Trinity College Gates and Main Building
Citation:
"Durham, N.C., Trinity College Gates and Main Building," Durwood Barbour Collection of North Carolina Postcards (P077), North Carolina Postcards, North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Source:

E. J. Parrish Building (Durham, Durham County)

Durham Durham

1888

Contributors:
Dates: 1888
Location: Durham, Durham County
Street Address: Main St., Durham, NC
Status: No longer standing
Type:
  • Commercial
Images Published In:
  • Joel A. Kostyu and Frank A. Kostyu, Durham: A Pictorial History (1978).
Title:
Citation:
Source:

First Presbyterian Church (Durham, Durham County)

Durham Durham

1890

Contributors:
Dates: Ca. 1890
Location: Durham, Durham County
Street Address: E. Main St., Durham, NC
Status: No longer standing
Type:
  • Religious
Images Published In:
  • Joel A. Kostyu and Frank A. Kostyu, Durham: A Pictorial History (1978).
Title:
Citation:
Source:

Watts Hospital (Durham, Durham County)

Durham Durham

1894

Contributors:
Dates: 1894-1895
Location: Durham, Durham County
Street Address: Main St. at Buchanan Blvd., Durham, NC
Status: No longer standing
Type:
  • Health Care
Images Published In:
  • Joel A. Kostyu and Frank A. Kostyu, Durham: A Pictorial History (1978).
Note:

One section of the old hospital survives as a residence at a new location, 302 Watts St.

View larger image and credits

Watts Hospital

Title: Watts Hospital, Durham, Durham County, North Carolina
Citation:
"Watts Hospital, Durham, Durham County, North Carolina," State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO)
Source:

W. Duke and Sons Factory Annex (Durham, Durham County)

Durham Durham

1895

Contributors:
Dates: Ca. 1895-1895
Location: Durham, Durham County
Street Address: 600 W. Peabody St., Durham, NC
Status: Altered
Type:
  • Industrial
Images Published In:
  • Claudia P. Roberts (Brown) and Diane E. Lea, The Durham Architectural and Historic Inventory (1982).
Note:

This is probably the enlargement of the 1884 factory.
Title:
Citation:
Source:

Pearl Cotton Mill (Durham, Durham County)

Durham Durham

1890

Contributors:
Dates: Ca. 1890-1895
Location: Durham, Durham County
Street Address: Trinity Ave. at Duke St., Durham, NC
Status: No longer standing
Type:
  • Industrial
Images Published In:
  • Claudia P. Roberts (Brown) and Diane E. Lea, The Durham Architectural and Historic Inventory (1982).
Note:

Only the tower is still standing.
Title:
Citation:
Source:

Fuller School (Durham, Durham County)

Durham Durham

1897

Contributors:
Dates: 1897
Location: Durham, Durham County
Street Address: E. Chapel Hill St. and Cleveland St., Durham, NC
Status: No longer standing
Type:
  • Educational
Images Published In:
  • Durham Recorder, Apr. 16, 1900.
Title:
Citation:
Source:

George W. Watts House (Durham, Durham County)

Durham Durham

1897

Variant Name(s):
  • Harwood Hall
Contributors:
Dates: 1897
Location: Durham, Durham County
Street Address: S. Duke St., Durham, NC
Status: No longer standing
Type:
  • Residential
Images Published In:
  • Joel A. Kostyu and Frank A. Kostyu, Durham: A Pictorial History (1978).
  • Claudia P. Roberts (Brown) and Diane E. Lea, The Durham Architectural and Historic Inventory (1982).
Title:
Citation:
Source:

Edgemont Cotton Mill (Durham, Durham County)

Durham Durham

1899

Contributors:
Dates: Ca. 1899
Location: Durham, Durham County
Street Address: Edgemont Village, Durham, NC
Status: No longer standing
Type:
  • Industrial
Images Published In:
  • Durham Recorder, Apr. 16, 1900.
Title:
Citation:
Source:

First National Bank Building (Durham, Durham County)

Durham Durham

1892

Contributors:
Dates: 1892
Location: Durham, Durham County
Street Address: SE corner Main St. and Corcoran St., Durham, NC
Status: No longer standing
Type:
  • Commercial
Images Published In:
  • Joel A. Kostyu and Frank A. Kostyu, Durham: A Pictorial History (1978).
  • Claudia P. Roberts (Brown) and Diane E. Lea, The Durham Architectural and Historic Inventory (1982).

View larger image and credits

First National Bank Building

Title: Durham, N.C. First National Bank
Citation:
"Durham, N.C. First National Bank," Durwood Barbour Collection of North Carolina Postcards (P077), North Carolina Postcards, North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Source:

Charles N. Norton's Work Locations

Bibliography

  • Charlotte Vestal Brown Papers, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.
  • Durham Recorder, May 18, 1896, Feb. 11, 1897, Apr.16, 1900, Mar. 5, 1901.
  • Joel A. Kostyu and Frank A. Kostyu, Durham: A Pictorial History (1978).
  • Manufacturers' Record, July 29, 1892, Sept. 8, 1893, May 18, 1894, Aug. 9, 1895, Feb. 26, 1897.
  • Raleigh News and Observer, July 31, 1895, Apr. 14, 1898, Mar. 5, 1901.
  • Claudia P. Roberts (Brown) and Diane E. Lea, The Durham Architectural and Historic Inventory (1982).
Text Only

Brought to you by The NCSU Libraries and The NCSU Libraries Copyright & Digital Scholarship Center.

Please contact us with any additions, corrections, or updates.

Giving to the Libraries