1639 Madison Avenue
This house first appeared in city directories in 1965, suggesting that it was constructed in the early 1960s. The first occupant, Ethel Watson, was the mother-in-law of attorney Charles V. Bell who lived next door at 1645 Madison Avenue. Charlene Bell Richardson, who is Attorney Bell’s daughter and Mrs. Watson’s granddaughter, remembers that when Mrs. Watson was ready to move to Charlotte, she asked Attorney Bell to sell her the lot so that she could have the house built.
When Mrs. Watson passed away, the house was sold to a church, Richardson recalls. Two later city directories consulted at random showed:
- 1971: Rev. Robert L. Pyant, Pastor at Rock Hill AME Zion and spouse Genevieve B. Pyant, office clerk, Belks;
- 1981: house listed as vacant.
Architecture
Ranch style house, one-story in red brick, under a hip roof. There is a large three-part picture window in the living room, a Ranch style feature, and also a prominent exterior chimney on the west side of the dwelling. A large and deep front porch extends across the entire front of the house and extends to the east to form a carport; this is a contrast with the majority of Ranch examples in McCrorey Heights which have no covered front porch at all.
Building permits
no permits found
First appeared in city directory
1965 – Ethel Watson, no occupation, no spouse
1971 – Rev. Robert L. Pyant, Pastor at Rock Hill AME Zion; Genevieve B. Pyant, office clerk, Belks
1981 – vacant
Resources
Richardson, Charlene Bell, telephone interview with Tom Hanchett, November 27, 2017.