2011-11-27
Historic BD Funderburk House a Symbol of Matthews NC Turn-of-the-Century Prosperity
On November 29, 2011, the Town of Matthews will hold a public hearing to consider whether to designate the Benjamin DeWitt Funderburk house a historic landmark. The house was built in 1904 by BD Funderburk, a town merchant whose prosperity grew along with the development of Matthews after the Civil War as an agricultural service center and shipping point along the Central Carolina Railroad.
A walk through downtown Matthews with its historic buildings makes it easy to envision this bustling hub where farmers in the surrounding communities could bring their cotton to be shipped to the textile mills. As the textile mills prospered, so did the merchants who served the Matthews community. BD Funderburk operated his father’s dry goods store and built the Bank of Matthews. He became one of Matthews’ most prominent and wealthy citizens at the turn of the twentieth century.
The house that BD Funderburk built in 1904 was a symbol of his community status and wealth. Situated on an acre in downtown Matthews, it is a transitional Queen Anne-Colonial Revival style. This style combines classical elements with Queen Anne details such as the curvilinear porch and high hip roof. The house was renovated by the current owners in 2009.
The Funderburk house is the only remaining home with this styling in Matthews. The only other house with Queen Anne styling in Matthews is the 1890 Nancy Reid house, a full-blown Queen Anne cottage. Click here to read more about the Nancy Reid house.
Want to know more about real estate and living in Matthews NC? Request a free Matthews NC relocation package.
Copyright 2011. Carol Fox. Allen Tate Realtors. *Historic BD Funderburk House a Symbol of Matthews NC Turn-of-the-Century Prosperity*
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It’s called 
They are greenhouse grown by a local farmer in Marshville and they debuted at the market last Saturday.
Shops, restaurants, a farmers market, the library, the post office and community events are all a short distance from many Matthews neighborhoods.
If you are looking for a quaint small town to celebrate the Christmas season, consider 
How about tall windows reaching to the ceiling? Wooden stairs carrying students from floor to floor? If you can picture your school days in a building like this, you’ll want to step back in time at the Matthews Community Center in historic downtown 
The new school was considered a modern facility. Built of brick, it had three classrooms on the first floor and an auditorium on the second floor. The first graduating class was in 1911. The school was expanded in the 1920s and in 1924 became Matthews High School. In the early 1950s, Matthews high school students transferred to East Mecklenburg High and the Matthews school became a junior high school. During the 1960s, the junior high students were sent to other county schools and the Matthews Community Center was used for some elementary classes.
It was taken over by the Town of Matthews and restored. The beautiful classrooms once again hold classes for the Matthews Parks and Recreation Department and community groups. The restored auditorium at the back of the building houses the Matthews Playhouse of the Performing Arts and other community events. A two-story entrance to the community center welcomes everyone to the facility.
