Art & History Walking Tour - The Waverly Inn, 783 North Main Street has been greeting guests since 1898, forceful representation of the longevity of the tourist industry in Henderson County.
The Claddagh Inn, 755 North Main Street, was built as a private home, but soon became a boarding house. The Gaelic symbol and name of the bed-and-breakfast now operated here represent "love and friendship."
St. James Episcopal Church, 766 N. Main Street. The chancel was constructed in the 1920's and the nave in the 1960's according to a concept of the Rev. R. Wilcox and architect Erle Stillwell. Frederick W. Cole of London studios of George Payne designed the stained glass.
Home Trust Bank, 200 Sixth Avenue East, features the Fountain of Four Seasons and a work of fiber art depicting the four seasons of apple trees in Henderson County.
The Arts Council of Henderson County, 538-A North Main Street, is a non-profit organization offering continual museum-quality exhibitions. It serves as a focal point of the arts in Henderson County.
Skyland Hotel, 538 North Main Street, offers a taste of Hendersonville in the 1920's when F. Scott Fitzgerald stayed here. The period lobby decor has been preserved.
City Hall, 145 Fifth Avenue East, (1928) designed by Hendersonville's premiere architect, Erle G. Stillwell. In the lobby be sure to see Charles Keck's full-sized plaster model for the "The Three Presidents" statue on Capitol Square in Raleigh. The statues are of President Andrew Jackson, President James Knox Polk, and President Andrew Johnson; all three men were natives of North Carolina.
State Trust Company Building, 400 North Main Street, houses the Henderson County Genealogical and Historical Society and the Mineral and Lapidary Museum. The McClintock Chime Clock is located on the corner of this building. The clock, installed in 1923, was reactivated through community efforts in 1983 and is now maintained by the local chapter of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors.
Hands-On Children's Gallery, 318 North Main Street, includes two pieces of contemporary art. Nature in North Carolina, a 17-ft. x 17-ft. mosaic mural created by Russian artist Basil Polevy with the assistance of his sister Lyndmila, includes mountains, deer and other wildlife. The Touchstone Gallery Door was commissioned in 1989 from multimedia artist Joseph Bruneau.
The Shepherd-Ripley Building, 218 North Main Street, (1847) is a rare ante-bellum commercial building. The original brick façade and white wooden bracketed Italianate cornice were recently restored.
The Ripley Building, 101 South Main Street, (1850) is another rare survival from ante-bellum times, featuring a hip roof and careful stone construction.
The Historic Henderson County Courthouse, (1905) was designed by Richard Sharp Smith, the supervising architect of Biltmore House. The Historic Henderson County Courthouse was built of brick in a neoclassical revival style featuring six Corinthian columns on the front and four columns for each of the two side porticos. The focal point of the Courthouse is atop of the copper dome, a 6-foot statue of “Lady Justice.” The statue is the Greek goddess Themis (“The Greek Goddess of Divine Justice and Law”) who is without a blindfold, holding a sword in her right hand and scales in her left. It is believed to be only one of only three in the United States without a blindfold, statues of Themis/Justice are blindfolded to typify that Justice should be impartial. The Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 10, 1979. Tours of the Courthouse are offered every Wednesday at 2:00PM.
Today the Courthouse houses Henderson County Governement Offices and the Henderson County Heritage Museum. The Henderson County Heritage Museum offers public display galleries, displays, artifacts, collections, archives, libraries, demonstrations, performances and other similar exhibitions relating to the history, culture, heritage and story of the founding settlement and development of Henderson County. The Museum hours are Wednesday - Saturday from 10:00AM - 5:00 PM and Sunday 1:00PM - 5:00PM. For more information call 828-694-1619.
The Lions' Heads, 211 North Main Street, created in the 1920's of ceramic, are part of a tiny but beautifully composed and balanced neo-classical frieze.
People's National Bank Building, 227 North Main Street, (1910) designed by R. S. Smith. The name appears in granite over the door and in the entryway tile. The gates at the entry were designed and produced by the local firm Jackson Welding and Supply.
Justus Pharmacy, now Mike's On Main Street, 303 North Main Street, is easily recognized by the meticulously repainted Coca-Cola sign, on the side of the building.
The First Bank and Trust Building, 401 North Main Street, a neo-classical design created by local architect Erle G. Stillwell.
The Clark Hardware Building (1909) and the Maxwell Building (1910) are located on the west side of Main Street between Fourth & Fifth Avenues. The two handsome turn-of-the century commercial buildings have been restored after many years behind a metal false front.
First Citizens Bank, 599 North Main Street. A twenty-eight foot high standing clock dominates the lobby. It was created for this space from an antique tower clock made by E. Howard of Boston. The modern clock is by Canterbury Clocks and strikes the hours and quarters in the famous Westminster Chimes. A collection of twenty-five quilts located throughout the building is on display for public viewing, brochures are available at the bank's reception desk about the clock and the quilts.
Further Afield - The Mask Museum, 317 Fifth Avenue West, houses a collection of masks and artifacts collected by enthusiast Ellen Hobbs. Shown by appointment.
Henderson County Library, 301 North Washington Street, has a permanent display of Pisgah Forest Pottery. Other displays change monthly. Bust of several local authors, by nationally known sculptor James Spratt, are in the North Carolina Room.
Opportunity House, 1411 Asheville Highway (US 25 North) serves as the headquarters of the Arts League of Henderson County. This non-profit arts, crafts and cultural center include an on-going display of local artwork.
Henderson County YMCA, 810 Sixth Avenue West. A mural by landscape artist Jeremiah Miller covers an entire wall of the aquatic center.
Oakdale Cemetery, Sixth Avenue West (Highway 64 West), founded in 1882, lies on both sides of the highway. The northern section was established for African-American burials. A Jewish Section is a poignant feature of the southern section. Wolfe's Angel, immortalized in the novel Look Homeward Angel, stands within the iron fence of the Johnson family plot near the historical maker on Highway 64.
Killarney House Bed & Breakfast was built in the mid-ninetieth century and raised to its present two-story Picturesque Cottage form in the early twentieth century by architect R. S. Smith, is Hendersonville's example of the luxurious summer cottages of the Charlestonians.
Historic Hendersonville Train Depot, Corner of Seventh Avenue East & Maple Street (1879), the restored passenger depot, once the coveted destination of rich Charlestonians escaping the heat, now houses the HO-gauge layout of the Apple Valley Model Railroad Club.
Henderson County Courthouse, 200 North Grove Street (1995), welcomes visitors Monday-Friday from 8:30AM-5:00PM. See the thirty-minute video The Founders' Vision, portraying Henderson County from the time of the Cherokees to the opening of the Historic Courthouse in 1905. There is a display of over sixty works of art by local artists, including paintings, photographs, a quilt and mural.
Meadows Memorial Fountain and Browning Garden, corner of Third Avenue West and Justice Street, A stainless-steel sculpture by Brenda Coates, mixes classical lintels with mountain pragmatism in the chutes symbolic of channeling spring water into buckets. The Japanese meditation garden invites contemplation through its careful choice of materials and minimalist form. The garden is accessible through the offices of the Hendersonville Housing Authority during office hours. |
