Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities
southern pines, North Carolina
Background
The National Register-listed Boyd House, known as Weymouth, was designed in 1922 by architect Aymar Embury II for author James Boyd and his wife, Katharine Lamont Boyd, with a 1932 addition by Alfred Yeomans. The large brick house with its hyphenated wings was a literary colony of some distinction during the 1920s and 1930s, and has been home to the Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities since 1979. Operated by the Friends of Weymouth, the Center hosts cultural programs, a writer’s residency, and the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame.
Project Summary
JKOA was engaged to evaluate and improve accessibility at the Center. The large and rambling property poses an array of accessibility issues for those with impaired mobility and for use of mobility aids. The team developed a conceptual plan and cost estimate to guide a capital campaign, identifying strategies to provide comprehensive access while minimizing impacts to historic character-defining features. Recommendations were designed to complement the building’s historic design, comply with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, and enhance universal access, thereby strengthening Weymouth’s community inclusiveness and public offerings.