John A. North House; Star Tavern
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Greenbrier Historical Society Museum (John A. North House; Star Tavern)
1820, John W. Dunn, builder; Conrod Burgess, woodcarver. 1925, Stanhope S. Johnson. 1995, Paul Marshall. 101 Church St. (near intersection of W. Washington St.)
James Frazier bought this impressive brick house from John A. North, a clerk of the court, and converted it to a tavern for justices attending nearby court sessions. In the early twentieth century it began to serve as the home of the president of Greenbrier College, and it now houses the museum, office, and library of the historical society.
The building is a fine example of Dunn's architectural talents and Burgess's woodworking skills. The five-bay facade features a handsome rolled brick cornice. A two-tiered, pedimented portico shelters a broad entrance with side lights and an elliptically arched fanlight. Inside, the parlor, to the right of the entrance hall, contains an elaborately carved mantel, almost preposterous in its proportions, with windows and doors trimmed to match. Side wings, one originally a porte-cochere, the other a sun porch with sleeping porch above, are frame additions dating from 1925 alterations by architect Johnson.
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