Area 1 acre (0.40 ha) Architectural style Italianate | Built 1858 (1858) NRHP Reference # 78001979 | |
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Location 308 Boylan Ave., Raleigh, North Carolina Architect William Percival
Briggs & Dodd | ||
Montfort Hall is a home and registered historic landmark located in the Boylan Heights neighborhood of Raleigh, North Carolina. It is one of the few mansions in Raleigh that survived during the American Civil War era. The house was built for William Montfort Boylan in 1858 and is an example of Italianate architecture. The centerpiece of the house's interior is a rotunda supported by four Corinthian columns and lit by a stained glass window located on the roof. Montfort Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 as Montford Hall and is a Raleigh Historic Landmark.
History
William Montfort Boylan was the youngest son of prominent Raleigh businessman, William Boylan. The younger Boylan was born in the former home of Joel Lane after his father had purchased it along with the Wakefield Plantation in 1818. In addition to Wakefield, the senior Boylan owned plantations in neighboring Johnston and Chatham counties and in Mississippi, making him one of the wealthiest men in North Carolina. Boylan deeded his son William 100 acres (0.40 km2) on the west side of Raleigh in 1855.
William Montfort Boylan chose William Percival to design his home in 1858. In addition to designing Montfort Hall, some of Percival's work included renovations to the State Capitol and designing the New East and New West dormitories at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. William Montfort Boylan died in 1899 and the land around Montfort Hall was sold and subdivided as Boylan Heights, one of Raleigh's first planned suburban neighborhoods. Since then, Montfort Hall has passed through a succession of owners, but the building still retains much of its original character.