Perry, Lord Byron (1870-1948)

Birthplace:

Perquimans County, North Carolina, USA

Residences:

  • Perquimans County, North Carolina
  • Elizabeth City, North Carolina

Trades:

  • Contractor

NC Work Locations:

Building Types:

Commercial; Educational; Religious; Residential

Styles & Forms:

Bungalow; Craftsman


George W. Beveridge House [Elizabeth City]
View larger image and credits

Lord Byron Perry (August 2, 1870-January 3, 1948) was a local contractor who worked in the Albemarle region in the early 20th century, encompassing many different types of buildings in Perquimans, Pasquotank, and Chowan counties. Perry was born in the Durant’s Neck section of rural Perquimans County, the son of Alexious (Alexis) and Carolina White Perry. In the census of 1880 and 1900, he was listed simply as Byron Perry, but from 1910 onward he was listed as Lord B. or Lord Byron Perry. How he learned the building trade is not established, nor is it known whether Perry had construction skills himself or only managed a workforce of artisans. As a young man, he was a successful businessman in his home county with a wide range of agricultural and business interests, including the operation of lumberyards and sawmills. In 1917, Perry moved to nearby Elizabeth City where he established the L. B. Perry Motor Company. He later turned over the motor company to his son and devoted himself to his building contracting business.

Like many other builders, he sometimes worked from architects’ plans and sometimes apparently developed the designs himself. He handled some of the largest building jobs in his rural region, with work in Pasquotank, Perquimans, and other counties. In addition to his extensive work in Elizabeth City, he constructed a number of buildings in nearby Edenton, including residences and commercial buildings. Typically his buildings present unpretentious, solidly built renditions of current styles, including Craftsman bungalows and straightforward commercial modes.

Lord Byron Perry retired in 1942 after suffering a stroke while directing the construction of the radar tower at Kitty Hawk in Dare County. He and his wife, Sally E. (Morgan) Perry, are buried in the Perry-Trueblood family cemetery, New Hope, Perquimans County.

  • Charlotte Vestal Brown Papers, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.
  • Thomas R. Butchko, Edenton, an Architectural Portrait: The Historic Architecture of Edenton, North Carolina (1992).
  • Thomas R. Butchko, On the Shores of the Pasquotank: The Architectural Heritage of Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County, North Carolina (1989).
  • Elizabeth City Daily Advance, various issues.
  • Dru Gatewood Haley and Raymond A. Winslow, Jr., The Historic Architecture of Perquimans County, North Carolina (1982).
  • Pasquotank Year-Book (1956-1957).
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  • Christ Episcopal Church Parish House

    Contributors:
    Benton and Benton, architects; Frank W. Benton, architect; Lord Byron Perry, contractor
    Dates:

    1925-1926
    Location:
    Elizabeth City, Pasquotank County
    Street Address:

    200 S. McMorrine St., Elizabeth City, NC
    Status:

    Standing
    Type:

    Religious
    Images Published In:

    Catherine W. Bishir and Michael T. Southern, A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Eastern North Carolina (1996).
    Thomas R. Butchko, On the Shores of the Pasquotank: The Architectural Heritage of Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County, North Carolina (1989).
    Note:

    The Tudor Revival style building harmonizes with the antebellum Gothic Revival church by J. Crawford Neilson.

  • Clyde W. Small House

    Contributors:
    Lord Byron Perry, builder
    Dates:

    1924
    Location:
    Salem, Pasquotank County
    Street Address:

    SR 1118, Salem Township, NC
    Status:

    Standing
    Type:

    Residential
    Images Published In:

    Thomas R. Butchko, On the Shores of the Pasquotank: The Architectural Heritage of Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County, North Carolina (1989).
    Note:

    The design of the foursquare house with Craftsman detail is said to have been copied from an unidentified house in Elizabeth City.

  • Cutler Wozelka House

    Contributors:
    Lord Byron Perry, builder
    Dates:

    1925
    Location:
    Edenton, Chowan County
    Street Address:

    401 N. Broad St., Edenton, NC
    Status:

    Standing
    Type:

    Residential
    Images Published In:

    Thomas R. Butchko, Edenton, an Architectural Portrait: The Historic Architecture of Edenton, North Carolina (1992).
    Note:

    The Craftsman style house has a bungalow form except that it has a second story in the central portion. It probably came from a published plan, as yet unidentified. Perry’s construction proposal for $5,500 remains in the family. A house of similar form was built in nearby Gates County in 1926 for W. Graham Byrum, who borrowed the plans from Wozelka.

  • Dixon-Williams House

    Contributors:
    Lord Byron Perry, contractor
    Dates:

    1925
    Location:
    Edenton, Chowan County
    Street Address:

    300 S. Granville St., Edenton, NC
    Status:

    Standing
    Type:

    Residential
    Images Published In:

    Thomas R. Butchko, Edenton, an Architectural Portrait: The Historic Architecture of Edenton, North Carolina (1992).

  • E. C. White Building

    Contributors:
    Lord Byron Perry, contractor
    Dates:

    1927
    Location:
    Edenton, Chowan County
    Street Address:

    204 S. Broad St., Edenton, NC
    Status:

    Standing
    Type:

    Commercial
    Images Published In:

    Thomas R. Butchko, Edenton, an Architectural Portrait: The Historic Architecture of Edenton, North Carolina (1992).
    Note:

    The Edenton News reported on July 20, 1927, that Lord Byron Perry of Elizabeth City was contractor for the three stores begun for E. C. White next to the Taylor Theatre. Similarities between this documented commercial row and other local buildings suggest Perry’s other works.

  • Elizabeth City High School

    Contributors:
    Frank Pierce Milburn, architect; Milburn, Heister, and Company, architects; Lord Byron Perry, contractor; Michael Heister, architect
    Dates:

    1921
    Location:
    Elizabeth City, Pasquotank County
    Street Address:

    306 N. Road St., Elizabeth City, NC
    Status:

    Standing
    Type:

    Educational
    Images Published In:

    Thomas R. Butchko, On the Shores of the Pasquotank: The Architectural Heritage of Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County, North Carolina (1989).

    View larger image and credits

  • Elizabeth Wozelka House

    Contributors:
    Lord Byron Perry, attributed builder
    Dates:

    1927
    Location:
    Edenton, Chowan County
    Street Address:

    103 W. Queen St., Edenton, NC
    Status:

    Standing
    Type:

    Residential
    Images Published In:

    Thomas R. Butchko, Edenton, an Architectural Portrait: The Historic Architecture of Edenton, North Carolina (1992).

  • George W. Beveridge House

    Contributors:
    Lord Byron Perry, contractor
    Dates:

    1926
    Location:
    Elizabeth City, Pasquotank County
    Street Address:

    1006 Riverside Ave., Elizabeth City, NC
    Status:

    Standing
    Type:

    Residential
    Images Published In:

    Catherine W. Bishir and Michael T. Southern, A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Eastern North Carolina (1996).
    Thomas R. Butchko, On the Shores of the Pasquotank: The Architectural Heritage of Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County, North Carolina (1989).
    Note:

    A favorite sight in Elizabeth City is this classic bungalow distinguished by its unique siting—on piers in the Pasquotank River, with a walkway leading to the land (and garage) on Riverside Ave. Mrs. Beveridge (the former Nellie Grice) wanted a house like her parents’ cottage at Nags Head. The design is attributed to an unknown Norfolk architect. According to family memory, Mrs. Beveridge had the house built over the water to accommodate her husband’s desire not to mow grass. A nephew recalled fishing out of the kitchen window.

    View larger image and credits

  • Gregory's 5-10-25 Cent Store

    Contributors:
    Lord Byron Perry, contractor
    Dates:

    1928-1929
    Location:
    Hertford, Perquimans County
    Street Address:

    115-117 N. Church St., Hertford, NC
    Status:

    Standing
    Type:

    Commercial
    Images Published In:

    Dru Gatewood Haley and Raymond A. Winslow, Jr., The Historic Architecture of Perquimans County, North Carolina (1982).

  • Habit Brothers Building

    Contributors:
    Lord Byron Perry, attributed builder
    Dates:

    1927
    Location:
    Edenton, Chowan County
    Street Address:

    201-207 S. Broad St., Edenton, NC
    Status:

    Standing
    Type:

    Commercial
    Images Published In:

    Thomas R. Butchko, Edenton, an Architectural Portrait: The Historic Architecture of Edenton, North Carolina (1992).

  • Hinton Hotel

    Contributors:
    Lord Byron Perry, contractor
    Dates:

    1926
    Location:
    Edenton, Chowan County
    Street Address:

    109 E. King St., Edenton, NC
    Status:

    Standing
    Type:

    Commercial
    Note:

    The Edenton News of July 20, 1927, identified Lord Byron Perry as general contractor for the large, 4-story brick hotel, which was one of the largest buildings in town. It stands on a site occupied by inns and hotels since the 1750s, convenient to the courthouse and the main commercial street. See Thomas R. Butchko, Edenton, an Architectural Portrait: The Historic Architecture of Edenton, North Carolina (1992).

    View larger image and credits

  • Louis B. Chappell House

    Contributors:
    Lord Byron Perry, contractor
    Dates:

    1924
    Location:
    Elizabeth City, Pasquotank County
    Street Address:

    1104 W. Church St., Elizabeth City, NC
    Status:

    Standing
    Type:

    Residential
    Images Published In:

    Thomas R. Butchko, On the Shores of the Pasquotank: The Architectural Heritage of Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County, North Carolina (1989).

  • Morris Bunch House

    Contributors:
    Lord Byron Perry, contractor
    Dates:

    1925
    Location:
    Edenton, Chowan County
    Street Address:

    110 Virginia Rd., Edenton, NC
    Status:

    Standing
    Type:

    Residential
    Images Published In:

    Thomas R. Butchko, Edenton, an Architectural Portrait: The Historic Architecture of Edenton, North Carolina (1992).
    Note:

    Before building this classic Craftsman bungalow, Morris and Virginia Bunch visited Elizabeth City to consider models for their intended house, and employed Lord Byron Perry to copy a bungalow they saw there for their Edenton residence.

  • Quinn Furniture Company

    Contributors:
    Lord Byron Perry, builder
    Dates:

    1924
    Location:
    Edenton, Chowan County
    Street Address:

    308 S. Broad St., Edenton, NC
    Status:

    Standing
    Type:

    Commercial
    Images Published In:

    Thomas R. Butchko, Edenton, an Architectural Portrait: The Historic Architecture of Edenton, North Carolina (1992).

  • Selig Jewelers Building

    Contributors:
    Lord Byron Perry, contractor; Rudolf, Cooke and Van Llewen, architects
    Dates:

    1926
    Location:
    Elizabeth City, Pasquotank County
    Street Address:

    513 E. Main St., Elizabeth City, NC
    Status:

    Standing
    Type:

    Commercial
    Images Published In:

    Thomas R. Butchko, On the Shores of the Pasquotank: The Architectural Heritage of Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County, North Carolina (1989).

  • Weeksville High School

    Contributors:
    Lord Byron Perry, contractor
    Dates:

    1923
    Location:
    Weeksville, Pasquotank County
    Street Address:

    Weeksville, NC
    Status:

    No longer standing
    Type:

    Educational

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