News Flash

Two new local historic markers, for the Oak Crest Historic District and the Reynolda Park neighborhood, will be unveiled during ceremonies the week of Oct. 3.

The Oak Crest Historic District marker will be unveiled at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3, at 1322 Polo Road.

The Oak Crest neighborhood was developed in the 1920s and 1930s on 150 acres owned by the Fries family on both sides of Polo Road between Silas Creek Parkway and Wake Forest University. The neighborhood offered a range of lot sizes and was designed to appeal to those wanting the spaciousness of country life but who also wanted to live in a neighborhood. 

The Reynolda Park marker will be unveiled at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 5, at the intersection of East Kent and West Kent roads. 

The neighborhood was established by Katharine Smith Reynolds in the 1920s on 65 acres that were originally part of the Reynolda Estate. Reynolds wanted to provide a community where senior leaders of R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., close friends and other members of the Reynolds family could live. Noted landscape architect Thomas W. Sears, who also designed the Reynolda and Graylyn estate plans, was commissioned to create a park-like setting for the neighborhood.

Oak Crest Marker Text:

Oak Crest was first platted in 1923 by John, Francis, and Henry Fries and expanded in 1937 by J.A. and H.A. Nading. With curving streets and wooded lots ranging from small to urban-farm sized, the middle-income neighborhood mixes modest Craftsman, Colonial Revival, and Ranch houses with Revival-style Cottages, all built between 1925 and 1968. Residents included educators, accountants, florists, and nurses, as well as employees of R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Hanes Knitting, Hanes Hosiery, Pilot Freight Carriers, and Western Electric. The Modernist College 66 Service Station, built in 1965, is the only commercial building in Oak Crest.

Reynolda Park Marker Text:

Reynolda Park was developed by Katharine Smith Reynolds Johnston in the 1920s on a 65-acre tract partitioned from Reynolda Estate. The innovative park-like neighborhood was designed by landscape architect Thomas W. Sears and showcases houses designed by noted architects, including Charles Barton Keen and Luther Lashmit.