The Wadsworth Estate & Carriage House

Original Construction: 1911

Preservation Project Completed: 2020-2021
Preservation (Residential) - Restoration of an historic residential structure

The Wadsworth Estate & Carriage House

The Front of the Home After the Restoration

Outside of the Home Before the Restoration

View of the Side and Back of the Home After the Restoration

View of the Side and Back of the Home Before the Restoration

Damage to the Original Wood Shingle Siding

View of the Staircase After the Restoration

View of the Staircase Before the Restoration

View of the Second Staircase After the Restoration

View of the Second Staircase Prior to the Restoration

View of the Kitchen After the Restoration

View of the Kitchen Before the Restoration

View of the Sunroom After the Restoration

View of the Sunroom Before the Restoration

View of One of the Living Spaces After the Restoration

About the Project

In 1911, prominent local businessman George Pierce Wadsworth commissioned the design and construction of The Wadsworth Estate, located in what is now Wesley Heights, as his family home. The house was later home to Judge Shirley Fulton, the first Black female prosecutor in Mecklenburg County, the first Black woman on the Superior Court bench in North Carolina and a community leader who was instrumental in helping gain historic designation for the Wesley Heights neighborhood. Under Fulton’s ownership, the home became a space for community members to gather. In 2018, Mark and Alyson Miller acquired The Wadsworth Estate and began restoring it to its original splendor, including careful rehabilitation of the home’s bedrooms, bathrooms, fireplaces, signature full-width porch and cedar shake siding, which had to be sourced in Canada. In order to continue the home’s legacy as a cultural hub for the neighborhood, the Millers also restored the property’s Carriage House and added a rear patio for use as an event space, maintaining its legacy as a community gathering space.