Please join your neighbors for holiday fellowship at the annual UPHA family party.
Monday, December 5, 2016 – 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
At the Players’ Retreat – 105 Oberlin Road Located at the corner of Oberlin and Hillsborough Streets.
Players’ Retreat is providing free appetizers while they last. Members are welcome to order drinks and meals at their own expense.
(Don’t forget the Christmas Charity Raffle! Bring some cash to buy tickets – )
UPHA Home of the Month – 606 Chamberlain Street
Home of Dustin Smith and Burton Buffaloe
Dustin and Burton fell in love with University Park years ago, while visiting the Raleigh Rose Gardens. The eclectic and diverse neighborhood, with its many parks and urban, walkable lifestyle, suited them perfectly. In 2013, after discovering there was a lot available on Chamberlain St., they immediately jumped on it. Their builder, Concept 8, allowed Dustin and Burton creative freedom with the design.
Their home has a contemporary farmhouse look with a blend of old and new. Outwardly dark, it has a mix of styles, bright contemporary art woven with “old soul.” Throughout the house you will see “found objects” like reclaimed beams, old dressers transformed into vanities, and even a pair of 300-year-old church gates.
Dustin and Burton are currently building a courtyard between the main home and their detached garage. Dustin’s brother, Chad, with “Gardenwanted Nc,” is designing and managing the home’s landscaping and courtyard. The outdoor fireplace, also underway, is being crafted by Rick DeMartino Masonry. This outdoor space will be the heart of the home, with a dining area nestled under a large wooden pergola, now being crafted by Eric Padden.
407 Dixie Trail
Home of Brian and Shauna Alexander
We began our time in University Park, as young college students, renting a house on Mayview Road. We grew to love this area and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else in Raleigh. We bought our first home in 2004 and lived there for almost 10 years. After our first child was born, we tackled a huge kitchen renovation in that home, but as our family grew, it was time to look for another house. We knew we wanted to stay in University Park and we had always loved the inviting front porch at 407 Dixie Trail. As we entered the house, we knew this would be the perfect spot to raise our two boys. What we later discovered, is not only is this a great house, but we have wonderful neighbors. At any given moment, there are boys (and a few girls) running in and out of the house and playing back and forth between yards. We love the community and friendships we have made in University Park and look forward to many years to come.
407 Dixie Trail was built in 1922. There have been approximately 3 families that lived in this house since the 1920’s. When we closed on the home, we were given several photographs from a descendent who had previously occupied the house. Looking at the long-ago pictures and the recent ones, you can compare the features of the living room and the front door then and now.
(The boy by the front door in the old photo is identified as Percy L. “Skip” Bostick, III. In the photo of the elegant couple in front of the fireplace, the gent in black tie is identified as “Warren Barfield, soloist.” No identification, alas, for the gowned young woman.)
1011 Parker Street
Home of Vincent and Sarah Chung
Built in 2014, 1011 Parker Street is a new addition to the University Park neighborhood. Vincent’s a native North Carolinian and Sarah’s originally from Rochester, New York. We met as longtime residents of Chicago, Illinois.
Vincent lived in the University Park neighborhood while attending NC State; after returning for a visit, Sarah fell in love with its tree-lined streets, walking proximity to Cameron Village, and beautiful architecture.
We purchased the property from Vivian Irving: civil rights activist, Raleigh Hall of Famer, and owner of the historic Irving-Swain Press. With a deteriorating foundation, plans to build upon the existing home proved fruitless. For our new construction, we wanted a craftsman bungalow to match the block and preserve the aesthetic integrity of 1011 Parker Street’s previous incarnation.
August 2015 HOM – Chung House Living Room
For our home, Architect Jody Brown craftily adapted a modern bungalow design he created for a Durham infill project. Rusty Caudill of Caudill Design Group meticulously executed the plan, and creatively realized many of the finishing touches. Caudill showcased the house in the 2014 Wake County Parade of Homes, so perhaps you’ve already seen it up close.
August 2015 HOM – Chung House Panorama
We’re excited to be part of the community and to meet our new neighbors!
University Park residents like to listen to music –especially if the concert is outdoors and free. They groove particularly on jazz, folk, bluegrass, and beach music. But not too late, please!
Those are some of the results from a recent events survey taken by the University Park Homeowners Association. The survey was intended to find out what our neighborhood likes to do with leisure time, and how the UPHA and its partners can better meet the needs of the community. The on-line survey netted a solid 173 responses, and many of the respondents added specific comments that expanded on the multiple choice answers offered by the survey.
UPHA’s respondents were almost unanimous in declaring that they value the neighborhood traditions that grow out of social activities. Their answers offered support for both free and paying concerts, food truck rodeos, farmer’s markets, and theater performances. The survey responses also indicated, however, that the UPHA community has very few late-night revelers. Sixty one per cent declared they’d prefer events that ended by 9 pm, and only 5% declared themselves “party animals.”
To read more about the survey and get details of the results, click here. (PDF, 12 pages)
405 Dixie Trail was built in 1999. The lot that it sits on was originally the side yard of its neighboring house, 401 Dixie Trail. The owners of 401 divided the lot, built 405, and moved into this new home. The two houses still share a brick-and-iron fence that dates to 1930.
We purchased the house in May of 2014. Although new to Dixie Trail, we had lived in the neighborhood for seven years on Mayview Rd., where we renovated our first house. When our family grew, and it was time to look for another house, we knew we wanted to stay in University Park. Since 405 Dixie Trail is not as old as many of the homes in University Park, we have not had to tackle any major renovations the way we did in our previous house. We are slowly changing a few things like hardware, and paint colors, to make it our own. One of the first changes was painting the front door a bright acqua!
The previous owners at one time had a beautiful yard, with lots of flowers and roses. When we purchased the house it had been empty for some time, and the lack of care had taken its toll on the landscaping. This past year we have started replanting shrubs and seeding grass in the back yard. It is certainly a work in progress.
One of the things we like most about our home is the great neighbors we have. We love the eclectic nature of the neighborhood, and its prime location to shopping and restaurants, as well as the neighborhood schools. We can usually step outside and find kids playing, neighbors chatting on front porches, and passers-by stopping to say hello.
Wondering what your neighborhood association can do for you?
Here are the ABC’s of the University Park Homeowners’ Association:
A is for Activities;
UPHA’s Christmas party, Easter Egg Hunt, July 4th children’s parade, and many more occasions to meet and have fun with your neighbors.
B is for Beauty;
UPHA protects and defends our greenways, tree canopies, parks, historic sites, and all those cherished spaces that bring delight to our senses and spirits.
C is for Communication;
UPHA publishes the myUPHA.com website, reports on development activities impacting our community, and conducts surveys of community opinion. The survey results go to Raleigh’s decision-makers, and make our voices heard.
(However, we don’t set house colors or landscaping requirements – in fact we don’t have any neighborhood covenants to enforce. We exist to help our neighbors get the most out of our beautiful old streets and homes, to help represent our needs to power, and to make University Park a special place for generations to come.)
We’d like to get the feedback in quickly, so the survey will only be open for 12 days – we’ll send a reminder a couple of days before we close it on 15 June 2015.
I don’t know much about the history of this house other than it was built in 1940 by J. Y. Phelps and I am the ninth owner since that time. The longest ownership was by Carlyne Clayton and wife from 1946 to 1985. The first picture shows the house in 1995 when it was owned by Pamela Tyler. I purchased this house from Jon and Mara Buxbaum in July 2009 as they were building another home in University Park (where they still reside).
Front View Circa 1995, City Land Records
I’m an NC native and was moving back to the Raleigh area having lived in Boston, Dallas and New York since graduating from Meredith College many years ago. Simply put, it was time to come home. There was no doubt University Park was my ultimate destination – my brother and sister-in-law are also UP residents, I love the diversity of this neighborhood, and I wanted to be able to walk to shopping and restaurants. I was visiting from New York one weekend and decided on a whim to walk through the house, and I immediately knew this was where I wanted to live. The company I worked for at that time was reluctant to let me work remotely, but persistence and determination won out and I moved without having their final blessing! Like I said, I knew this was the house and neighborhood for me!
The house itself was in amazing condition, definitely move-in ready without requiring any repairs. Jon and Mara had taken excellent care of the house and had already undertaken a major renovation by adding a second story for the master suite.
Renovated Front Yard and Landscaping, 2607 Van Dyke
Because of this, I could focus attention on the outside, so over the first few years I tackled the front and back yards.
Ken Brooks (another UP resident) from Brookscapes created the overall design and installed a pavestone patio, retaining walls, drainage, new front steps and railings, as well as completely new landscaping. I am thrilled with my backyard oasis!
Back Yard landscaping, 2607 Van Dyke
Last year I finally tackled an indoor project, renovating the kitchen and den, which included new flooring, appliances, cabinets, lighting and countertops. We also as turned what was the breakfast room into a butler’s pantry for much needed additional storage.
Kitchen Renovation, 2607 Van Dyke
This house is a wonderful combination of old character and modern touches that represent the charm of University Park. I wouldn’t have it any other way!
University Park Homeowners Association 