Historic Wrightsville Beach cottage temporarily saved from demolition

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC (WWAY) — The future of a historic Wrightsville Beach home remains secure—for now.  

A one year stay order was issued for the Williams-Bordeaux Cottage on N Lumina Ave. by the town’s Historic Landmark Commission on Monday.  

The home—which was built in 1922—faced demolition by the home’s owner, who’s hoping to build a new home in its place.  

In a unanimous decision, and in agreement with the homeowner, demolition was postponed in hopes the home can be preserved.  

The home sits next door to the former site of the Ewing-Bordeaux Cottage, which was moved to the town’s historic square in 2018. 

Jan Brewington with the Wrightsville Beach Museum of History said the stay opens the door for preservation.  

“There’s really no regulation as to exactly how that has to happen and so it’s just going to have to be people in the community coming together or a buyer who want to see that place saved,” Brewington said. 

The first step in preservation is finding a plot to move the building. 

“And we certainly want it relocated on the beach,” Historic Landmark Commissioner Nancy-Faye Craig told WWAY. “If that doesn’t work, hopefully they’ll be a place over in Wilmington or New Hanover County somewhere.”  

Craig noted the home is one of a few that survived the Great Fire of 1934, which destroyed most of the island’s buildings. 

“The building we’re looking to find a home for was one of the last ones on what we call the northern extension at that time that was not destroyed by the fire,” Craig said. 

Brewington said preservation of the home won’t be easy, and the museum can’t do it alone. 

“When we can come together to save things like this, we really preserve the character of this beach,” Brewington noted. 

Brewington said if you’re interested in helping preserve the cottage, you can contact the Wrightsville Beach Museum of History at 910-256-2569.