The DUBOSE HOME at MEADOWMONT
Mr. and Mrs. DuBose, along with their three children, created an extensive working farm. The highlight of the property was the two and a half story Georgian Revival country home that they named “Meadowmont” for its location atop high ground surrounded by meadowland. Aided by drawings from DuBose, Meadowmont was designed by prominent Baltimore architects Herbert G. Crisp and James R. Edmunds, Jr., and it was eventually listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The home become the center of a distinguished social scene in North Carolina for more than 60 years. Social gatherings at Meadowmont were special occasions, highlighted by the warmth and generosity of the DuBose family. The grandiose center hall could easily accommodate an orchestra and dance floor for formal occasions.
The interior of the home displays both Georgian architectural details and DuBose’s own stamp of ingenuity and foresight. Realizing that air conditioning would one day be a standard feature in private homes, particularly in the South, DuBose designed an ingenious network of ductwork and vents which were all painstakingly disguised behind intricate and attractive Georgian-style open moldings. Meadowmont is believed to be one of the first private homes in the United States to be equipped for central air conditioning.
More than 200 years later, reminders of the original Barbee homeplace can still be seen across the Meadowmont property. These include a family cemetery and what are believed to be the foundational stones of the original Barbee home. The heart-pine paneling that now graces the library of the DuBose Home came from this property, which was still standing when Meadowmont was constructed in 1933. Today, the home encompasses over 15,800 square feet of space and serves as a dining and social gathering place for the Rizzo Center.
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