Work began to replace Flat Top Manor roof on April 10

BLOWING ROCK, NC (April 6, 2017)…Textile magnate Moses H. Cone would never have allowed a leaky roof to go unattended at his beloved Flat Top Manor near Blowing Rock, N.C. Now it won’t. Work began on Monday, April 10, to replace the flat roof on the home through funding provided by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.

The flat roof is failing and has resulted in water damage to the porch ceiling, columns, and interior of the manor. The process includes removing the existing flat roofing system, constructing and replacing the damaged gutter system, and installing a new roofing system and historically and architecturally accurate balustrades. Once complete, the new roof will prevent further damage as the National Park Service and Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation continue to make repairs to the 23-room Colonial Revival style home completed in 1901.

While visiting the Manor House, home to the Parkway Craft Center, people are asked to not cross the safety fencing, use designated walkways to enter the manor, and avoid distracting the construction team.

This project is part of a multiyear plan by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation to repair and rehabilitate many features of the historical estate located at milepost 294 on the Parkway. The nonprofit has secured $1.7 million toward its total fundraising goal of $3 million. Future projects include:

• Installing a fire suppression system at Flat Top Manor (work slated for 2017)

• Replacing exterior wooden components, including some doors and windows, and ensuring structural integrity of the manor

• Repairing stone walls on the estate

• Partially restoring the immediate landscape of the manor house

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is providing approximately $200,000 for the roof restoration project through grants from the Covington Foundation, Cannon Foundation, and private donations.

Flat Top Manor is a significant contributing element of Moses H. Cone Memorial Park’s designation on the National Register of Historic Places. As such, all work will be performed in compliance to the Organic Act of 1916, the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Historic Preservation. The project will be completed by Atriax Group of Hickory, N.C.

About the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is the primary nonprofit fundraising organization, 501(c)(3), of the Blue Ridge Parkway, helping ensure cultural and historical preservation, natural resource protection, educational outreach, and visitor enjoyment now and for future generations. The nonprofit is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Since its inception in 1997, the Foundation has worked with donors to invest more than $1 million in the estate, including constructing restrooms at Bass Lake, successfully nominating the estate for the National Register of Historic Places, and completing a multiyear management plan to guide future investments. For more about the efforts to rehab and restore Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, visit www.brpfoundation.org/remakehistory.

About the Blue Ridge Parkway
The Moses H. Cone Memorial Estate is managed as part of the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway connecting Shenandoah National Park to the north with Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the south. The Blue Ridge Parkway travels the crests, ridges, and valleys of five major mountain ranges, encompassing several geographic and vegetative zones ranging from 600 to more than 6,000 feet above sea level. It provides visitors with many varied vistas of scenic Appalachian landscapes ranging from forested ridgetops and mountain slopes to rural farm lands and urban areas. The Parkway offers a “ride-a-while, stop-a-while” experience that includes scenic pullouts, recreation areas, historic sites, and visitor contact stations. It is known nationally and internationally for its designed landscape as a scenic motorway.

Information and photos provided by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.