Collaboration between the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and the National Park Service resulted in a beautiful restoration of Flat Top Manor/Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation

A beautiful, multi-million-dollar restoration of an early 20th-century mansion that had been rotting away in places has landed the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and the National Park Service the 2022 Public Lands Partner Award from the Public Lands Alliance.

The award bestowed earlier this month recognizes the exemplary partnership the two organizations developed to restore the exterior of Flat Top Manor at the Moses H. Cone Memorial Park along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Located only a few miles north of the nearly 6,000-foot Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina, the home of textile magnate Moses Cone and his wife Bertha is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In recent years it underwent a complete restoration, the most extensive work ever completed on the property in its more than 120-year history. Last December, the work came to an end, with the gleaming mansion once again the notable center of the 3,500-acre estate. 

The restoration work took more than a year and cost $2.4 million/Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation

For years, peeling paint, crumbling woodwork, decaying columns, and even a boarded-up window at Flat Top Manor signaled that home required repairs. In 2016, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation began fundraising efforts for the exterior renovations and additional projects on the estate. 

“It is truly gratifying to accept this award along with the National Park Service for a project that means so much to Parkway visitors and the Blowing Rock community,” said Carolyn Ward, CEO of the Foundation. “The renovations at Flat Top Manor demonstrate that we can meet the larger needs within our national park through collaboration and creativity.”  

Tracy Swarthout, the parkway's superintendent, said the "recognition helps underscore the value of partnerships in helping the NPS accomplish its mission to safeguard special places and share their stories.” 

Architects from the Denver Service Center (the National Park Service’s planning, design, and construction management office) led the restoration work. Their expertise guided the skilled contractors who completed the work.  

The mansion's entry, during restoration/Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation

The extensive exterior renovations took 14 months to complete. Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation donors and the National Park Service funded the $2.4 million rehabilitation. 

“The commitment of those who love the Cone estate was crucial in this effort to remake history,” said Jordan Calaway, the Foundation’s chief development officer. “Donors truly stepped up to protect this treasured place listed on the National Register of Historic Places.” 

The project is one of many that Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation donors and volunteers have made possible at the estate, including the construction of restrooms at Bass Lake, clearing of vegetation on carriage trails, care of the hydrangea garden, and the installation of a fire suppression system in the manor. 

This year, the Foundation is celebrating its 25th anniversary of partnership with the Blue Ridge Parkway. The nonprofit collaborates with the National Park Service team to preserve history and culture, protect natural resources, educate visitors, engage the next generation of public land stewards, and ensure memorable experiences for visitors. 

The view through the restored entryway/Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation

The Public Lands Alliance has worked to foster and advance its members, the nonprofit partners of America’s public lands, since 1977. It is a unified, powerful community dedicated to the preservation, enrichment and enjoyment of America’s most treasured places. 

For more on this project, read this articles from the Traveler's archives:

Restoring Americana on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Enjoy A Virtual Tour Of Flat Top Manor On The Blue Ridge Parkway

Exterior Renovations To Historic Flat Top Manor On Blue Ridge Parkway Complete