Erwin Cottage

The Powe House is an important historic asset from the early development of West Durham and a reminder of one of Durham's most outstanding citizens. Originally from the Salisbury area, Edgar Knox Powe moved to Durham in the early 1890's to become the General Superintendent of the Erwin Cotton Mills' first mill. He was a friend of William Allen Erwin who was brought to Durham by B. J. Duke and George W. Watts to start the new company. In 1896 Powe married Erwin's sister, Claudia Josephine Erwin. Over the years he became a director of the company and sat on the boards of a number of businesses including Fidelity Bank, West Durham Building and Loan Association and the Long Leaf Pine Corporation. His business success is substantial, but his philanthropic actions established him as one of Durham's most respected citizens. 

Powe was a long time benefactor of the people who lived in the West Durham mill village. He made the effort to associate with his workers and their families beyond the work and was a frequent visitor to their modest company owned housing. He was long remembered for donating roses and other plants to the residents to help landscape the area. He served on many service boards as well including the Durham County Board of Health and he chaired the school boards of both North- side and Southside schools for over 28 years. His regard for the education of his worker's children was further demonstrated by his quietly paying of the higher education tuition and expenses for many of them over the years. Powe died in 1930 at the age of sixty-six. A short time later, Northside School on Ninth Street was renamed, the E. K. Powe School in his honor. Claudia Josephine Powe continued to live at the home until her death in 1943. By that time she had served for years on the board of Watts Hospital. She was also the first chairwoman of the Durham Chapter of the American Red Cross where she chaired the production committee for over twenty years. 

It was at the turn of the century that Edward and Claudia Powe built their home on Pettigrew Street. The Powe's home was designed in the Neoclassical Revival style, as were other prominent businessmen's homes of the period. The home is large and measures over four thousand square feet on two floors. The three bay façade features a wrap-around porch, port cochere and monumental, two-story portico at the entrance, which further accentuates its size. The primary core of the home features a hip roof and the two wings are pedimented. Delicate lonic order capitals on slender smooth columns support the porch roof. All cornices are molded box type and dental moldings with swags accentuate the two-story entrance portico. 

The small pyramidal house on the property was the 1904 servants' quarters for the adjacent "Sunnyside", the home of Jesse Harper Erwin, Sr. The main house built by Erwin has been significantly altered. However, the pyramidal cottage is in near original condition and was moved to the present location in the late 1980's where it was restored along with the Powe House. The symmetrical form features a hip roof porch supported by tapered columns with Doric capitals. A central chimney accentuates its pyramidal roof. 

Today, both the cottage and the Powe House serve as offices. The owner has maintained and improved the property over the years and it is commendable that this once doomed property remains as one of the most significant intact properties in the area.