Briggs and Dodd (ca. 1850-1868)

Founded:

Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

Residences:

  • Raleigh, North Carolina

Trades:

  • Contractor
  • Manufacturer

NC Work Locations:

Building Types:

Styles & Forms:

Italianate; Second Empire

Briggs and Dodd was a building and manufacturing partnership formed in the antebellum era by two builders, Thomas H. Briggs, Sr., and James Dodd, in Raleigh. At one time the two were next door neighbors. They took on construction of several important Raleigh houses, including some planned by architect William Percival. In addition to engaging in manufacturing and real estate enterprises, Briggs and Dodd also opened a hardware store on Fayetteville Street, but in 1868 they terminated their partnership. See the entry on Thomas H. Briggs, Sr., for more details.

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  • Andrews-Lyman House

    Contributors:
    Briggs and Dodd, attributed builders; Thomas H. Briggs, Sr., attributed builder; James Dodd, attributed builder
    Dates:

    1853

    Location:
    Raleigh, Wake County
    Street Address:

    105 E. North St., Raleigh, NC

    Status:

    No longer standing

    Type:

    Residential

    Note:

    According to an account in the News and Observer (April 26, 1942), the house at 105 E. North St. was built in 1853 for William J. Andrews, and was once owned by Ellen Mordecai and was for a time the home of Bishop T. B. Lyman. There were also “many others” built by Briggs and Dodd.


  • Branch-Hillyer House

    Contributors:
    Briggs and Dodd, attributed builders; Thomas H. Briggs, Sr., attributed builder; James Dodd, attributed builder
    Dates:

    1852

    Location:
    Raleigh, Wake County
    Street Address:

    305 Hillsborough St., Raleigh, NC

    Status:

    No longer standing

    Type:

    Residential

    Images Published In:

    Elizabeth C. Waugh, North Carolina’s Capital, Raleigh (1967).

    Note:

    According to an account in the News and Observer (April 26, 1942), the large house at 305 Hillsborough St. was built in 1852 by Briggs and Dodd for Lawrence O’Bryan Branch, a congressman and Confederate general, and was later the home of Mrs. Gussie H. Hillyer. “The first house caught fire and burned when just completed and was at once rebuilt.”


  • Carter Braxton Harrison House

    Contributors:
    Briggs and Dodd, builders; Thomas H. Briggs, Sr., builder; James Dodd, builder; William Percival, architect
    Dates:

    1860

    Location:
    Raleigh, Wake County
    Street Address:

    18 Seaboard Ave., N. of Peace St., Raleigh, NC

    Status:

    No longer standing

    Type:

    Residential

    Images Published In:

    Catherine W. Bishir, Charlotte V. Brown, Carl R. Lounsbury, and Ernest H. Wood III, Architects and Builders in North Carolina: A History of the Practice of Building (1990).
    William B. Bushong, “William Percival, an English Architect in the Old North State, 1857-1860,” North Carolina Historical Review, 57.3 (July 1980).
    Elizabeth C. Waugh, North Carolina’s Capital, Raleigh (1967).

    Note:

    The Harrison House was razed in 1962.


  • Montfort Hall

    Contributors:
    Briggs and Dodd, builders; Thomas H. Briggs, Sr., builder; James Dodd, builder; William Percival, architect
    Dates:

    1858

    Location:
    Raleigh, Wake County
    Street Address:

    308 S. Boylan Ave., Raleigh, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Residential

    Images Published In:

    Catherine W. Bishir and Michael T. Southern, A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Piedmont North Carolina (2003).
    William B. Bushong, “William Percival, an English Architect in the Old North State, 1857-1860,” North Carolina Historical Review, 57.3 (July 1980).
    Elizabeth C. Waugh, North Carolina’s Capital, Raleigh (1967).


  • Rufus S. Tucker House

    Contributors:
    Briggs and Dodd, builders; Thomas H. Briggs, Sr., builder; James Dodd, builder; William Percival, architect
    Dates:

    1858

    Location:
    Raleigh, Wake County
    Street Address:

    St. Mary’s St. at Hillsborough St., Raleigh, NC

    Status:

    No longer standing

    Type:

    Residential

    Images Published In:

    Catherine W. Bishir, Charlotte V. Brown, Carl R. Lounsbury, and Ernest H. Wood III, Architects and Builders in North Carolina: A History of the Practice of Building (1990).
    William B. Bushong, “William Percival, an English Architect in the Old North State, 1857-1860,” North Carolina Historical Review, 57.3 (July 1980).
    Elizabeth C. Waugh, North Carolina’s Capital, Raleigh (1967).

    Note:

    When R. S. Tucker opened his new house for the inspection of his friends, the mansion Percival designed was “regarded as a marvel of architectural skill, full of the greatest conveniences and magnificently furnished throughout” (Greensboro Times, July 30, 1859). The Tucker House was razed in 1968. A large carriage house built later in the 19th century on its grounds still stands and is an arts center. It is possible that the carriage house was built by Thomas S. Briggs’s contracting firm, but no documentation has been found.


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