As UNC's historical architect and campus historic preservation manager from 2002 to 2008, Paul Kapp spent a lot of time learning about the history of UNC's buildings. One architect, William Nichols, stood out. After years of research, Kapp will read from his book, “The Architecture of William Nichols: Building the Antebellum South in North Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi,” in Hillsborough on Sunday. He spoke to Arts & Culture Editor Sarah Vassello to discuss Nichols' life.
Daily Tar Heel: How did you become interested in former state architect William Nichols?
Paul Kapp: Back in 2002, I was the campus historic preservation manager at UNC, and my job was related to the capital construction bond referendum. At the time, UNC was either building or renovating a lot of buildings, and one of them was Gerrard Hall, and I became interested in Nichols through my research on how to renovate Gerrard Hall. What I did on that building was reconstruct the portico that’s on the south side of the building — you can see it when you leave the front door of the Campus Y. The original portico had literally rotted off the building by the 1890s, and it was removed, and fragments of the columns and bases were in people's backyards like lawn art — in fact, two bases of the original portico are in the president’s backyard on Franklin Street. Through that research, I just became very enamored by this architect. He had not only done work that really defined the campus at Carolina, he also designed the first real state capitol in Raleigh and then designed beautiful buildings in Hillsborough and Fayetteville and then in 1827 went to Tuscaloosa, Ala., where he designed the University of Alabama and Alabama's state capitol. He had an incredible impact on the South — starting in North Carolina. And that’s what really got me interested, and I started figuring out who he was and why he built the buildings he did. It all started with Gerrard Hall.
DTH: What's the most beautiful building he's designed?
PK: Oh my gosh, that’s a tough one. I am really torn about that. I just got back from Mississippi, so those are on my mind. I love his Lyceum at the University of Mississippi. I just gave a talk at the Old Capitol in Jackson, which is always a treat, and walked around the (Mississippi) Governor’s Mansion, which is regarded as one of the most beautiful governor’s mansions in the country. But I think my favorite was one of his earliest ones, and that was a house he designed in Edenton, N.C., and it’s called Hayes. To get an idea of how amazing this building is, in Wilson Library there’s a reconstruction of the Gothic library that he designed for Hayes. He built it in (1817); it’s this huge plantation house that has a big portico and wings that flank the main building that overlook the Albemarle Sound. It’s just an amazing place.
DTH: Why write a book about him?
PK: There’s certain characters that you meet that, when you learn their life story, it’s certainly book worthy. I think Nichols is certainly one of those types of people. He was born in Bath, England, in 1780 and learned how to be a cabinet maker and carpenter from his father, and at age 20 he immigrated to North Carolina, first starting in New Bern, and did all of these remarkable things in the South when the South was becoming itself.
When I read more and more about him, he wasn't some dead white guy from 175 years ago. He had a life; he had problems. He was always trying to stay out from being broke. He did some shady deals; he had a very big ego of himself. There were stories that I would run across, and I'd just have to laugh when I read them because you just couldn't believe it was happening — that's what motivated me to write about him.
DTH: What's the one thing you want people to know about Nichols?
PK: It's important to know the history behind the buildings that influence us — and there's so many that influence students all the time at UNC.
