A Passion for Historic Preservation
A noted Duke Endowment trustee who renovated the historic Ayr Mount house in Hillsborough will be in Durham next month to discuss old home renovation in a fund raiser for the Historic Preservation Society of Durham.
Richard Jenrette has had several successful careers, including as a founding partner of the Wall Street investment banking and securities firm of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. In retirement, he's focused on bringing back to life some of America's most beautiful and historically significant buildings.
Jenrette, dubbed by The New York Times as "the last gentleman on Wall Street," will be present at three events Oct. 4 and 5 in Durham. He will be at a dinner at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct 4, at Greystone, one of Durham's most historic buildings. The dinner will be followed by a slide presentation by Jenrette and a champagne/dessert reception in the courtyard of the American Tobacco Building, another historic site that is slated for a large restoration project.
On Oct. 5, Jenrette will lead a tour of Ayr Mount, with buses leaving the Carolina Theater in Durham at 9 a.m. A box lunch will be provided.
The Historic Preservation Society of Durham is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the preservation and restoration of significant sites in Durham. Duke President Nannerl O. Keohane is honorary chair of the event.
In his recent book, Adventures with Old Houses, Jenrette discusses his involvement in restoring six historic homes in New York, the Virgin Islands and in North and South Carolina.
Jenrette once told a reporter that his interest in house preservation began when he was growing up in Raleigh. "Even when I was 10 years old, I liked to drive past old houses with columns," Jenrette told House Beautiful. His ideal was Tara, the mansion in "Gone With the Wind."
Ayr Mount was one of his latest projects. Built from 1814-1816 by William Kirkland, a Scottish merchant, the brick home is one of the best examples of Federal-period designs, according to preservationists. The Kirklands lived in the house continuously until 1976. The building is open to the public by appointment.
Patrons' tickets for the dinner and presentation Oct. 4 are $250 for members of the Historic Preservation and $275 for non-members. Supporters' tickets for the events are $125 for members and $150 for non-members. Tickets just for the presentation at American Tobacco cost $50 for members and $75 for non-members.
Tickets for the Ayr Mount tour Oct. 5 cost $40 and $60 for non-members.
For tickets or more information, call the historic society at 682-3036.