27 Oak Dr. - Thomas C. Worth Sr. House

From the 1998 Preservation Durham Tour Booklet:

This Colonial revival house was built for Thomas C. Worth in the 1920s. Worth was a successful banker. Designed by architects Northrup and O'Brien of Winston-Salem and Durham, the house's exterior is classically symmetrical with five bays under a mansard roof. The central front door is surrounded by a classical pediment with a carved fan insert above the doorway. The two story central block is supported by one story wings on each side, one a screened porch, the other enclosed. The 1998 owners, George and Mary Parkerson, added the decorative balustrades around the top of the wings when they moved into the house in the early 1980s. The Parkersons also had the exterior of the house painted in graduated shades of gray green, with off-white detailing of the balustrades, window frames and elegant pedimented entrance. The house thus offers a striking contrast to the white siding with dark shutters color scheme which still predominates Oak Drive.

The interior features a central hall with an impressive staircase turning at a half landing. The curved stair opening in the front hall ceiling blends elegantly with a gracefully arched doorway leading to a cozy paneled den. The fireplace in the large living room was built around an elaborate gilded mirror brought by Mrs. Worth from her family home in Virginia. Folding doors to this room and elsewhere were added by the second owners of the house, Gale and James F Glenn between 1964 and 1982. They replace original glazed french doors. The elegant formal dining room gives onto a small family dining room, butler's pantry, and kitchen.