Couple rescues NC modernist home from demolition, then restores it. Here’s peek inside
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Couple rescued 1953 George Matsumoto modernist house, moved it seven miles.
- Funding ran out mid-renovation; city Preservation Loan Fund provided $215,000.
- Couple preserved original plans and materials, added 300 sqft unit for income.
When news went viral that the modernist house at 606 Transylvania Ave., built by NC State’s famed architect George Matsumoto, was slated for demolition, concerned residents fired off some 100 Facebook posts.
Most condemned the decision. One contributor called it “sickening.”
Then, in the 11th hour, Melinda and Andrew Knowles stepped up.
In their 60s, retired and empty nesters, they had no background in construction or historic preservation.
But they decided to do it anyway, budgeting around $350,000 in the “worse-case scenario” to move and restore the split-level house — from Raleigh’s Country Club Hills to an empty lot next door to their current home in West Raleigh.
“We’d lived [in the area] for 20 years and saw at least 10 iconic houses just get bulldozed, only to be replaced by bigger houses,” recalled Melinda Knowles, an interior designer and fan of the era.
“This time, we thought, maybe we could do something about it.”
The couple knew it wasn’t going to be a money-maker, but it still didn’t go exactly as planned.
Half-way through the renovation, funds dried up. Work stalled for months. Eventually, they secured $215,000 from the city’s Preservation Loan Fund and completed the project.
Two years on, they’re offering a peek inside the 1,700-square-foot modernist gem, fondly called the Bill and Betty Weber House, now backing up into woods at 1512 Delmont Drive in the Avent West neighborhood near Lake Johnson. It even includes an addition: a new 300-square-foot efficiency apartment.
NCModernist recently hosted a ticketed tour and public unveiling. George Smart, its executive director, said the couple “saved a livable work of art.”
And despite a few bumps, the couple insists they have no buyer’s remorse.
“Could we have built a whole brand-new house for the same money? Yeah. But here we are,” said Melinda Knowles. “We love the house, and it wouldn’t have been this house.”
“At the end of the day, we’re proud of saving a little tiny piece of Raleigh’s history.”
The rescue
In 1953, owner William Weber, a partner in the architecture firm Holloway, Weber and Reeves, designed the house in consultation with Matsumoto, his mentor and original faculty member at NC State’s School of Design. It was designated a historic landmark in 2009, then de-designated at the owner’s request in 2014.
In March 2023, a Raleigh couple paid $1.8 million for it, then got the green light to tear it down.
That’s when the Knowles stepped in, convincing the home’s new owners to deed the house to them with minimal fees.
The tricky part: moving a split-level house, with its slanted, off-kilter roof, roughly seven miles southwest to a half-acre lot next door to the couple’s main home.
After consulting multiple experts, they decided to cut the house in half and essentially take it apart, move it in large chunks, then put it back together again.
In early 2024, under police escort, the couple relocated the bulk of the original 2,097-square-foot house. They transported its upper-left “bedroom wing” — roughly a 21-foot-wide and 42-foot-deep load — containing two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a loft space.
To accommodate the move, they gutted the other half, containing the main living room and kitchen. They salvaged the kitchen’s mahogany cabinets by cutting a hole in the roof and using a giant red tower crane.
“It was a fun day when we moved it. That’s for sure,” Andrew Knowles said.
Once relocated, the couple tried to rebuild the house exactly like it was, or as close as possible, using original plans from NC State’s archives and materials preserved from the demolition.
But costs spiralled due to unexpected foundation expenses, and the addition of an apartment.
On a recent December afternoon, Melinda Knowles walked through the house, pointing out the finishes and other nooks and crannies.
“The cabinets, the doors right here, all the windows, pretty much everything except for the floors and the fireplace, are original,” she said.
A Raleigh historic landmark plaque is cemented to the wall, alongside a massive wall hanging documenting the home’s history.
In recent months, the couple even reunited with the son of the home’s original owners, Bill and Betty Weber, and installed a photo gallery dedicated to the family. It includes a portrait of his parents.
“I’m glad we did it. It’s been a fun adventure,” Melinda Knowles said.
They’re now planning to rent it out as an Airbnb. “Our hope is that we can generate some income and have a cool house next door.”
And the final price tag?
They declined to say.
“Suffice to say, it was significantly more than we hoped,” Andrew Knowles said. “But we still feel like we could recoup our expenses if we had to sell it. The house is still worth what we have spent and hopefully, a bit more.”
This story was originally published December 25, 2025 at 11:00 AM.
