French Norman Estate in Greensboro: Clay Roof, Variegated Brick & a Turret

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Whether they studied at the esteemed Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, or leisurely motored through the surrounding countryside, American architects of the early 20th century were influenced by French architecture of the day, including the French Norman style, which is characterized by steep-pitched hip roofs, turrets, and natural materials like brick, stone, and stucco. Clay roof tiles are another defining characteristic of French Norman architecture.

A French Norman house built in Greensboro, North Carolina, in the 1920s was the inspiration for a new period house built recently for a retired pilot and Korean War veteran who had always dreamed of having a grand manor house on his family farm. The client commissioned Milton Grenfell, principal of Grenfell Architecture, PLLC of Washington, D.C.

Grenfell understands historical precedent. In collaboration with New Age Builders, the architect sited the new house on a ridge, with views of a pond below and designed it to have a classic French Norman exterior with variegated brick cladding, limestone accents, decorative half-timbering, and a clay roof from
Ludowici.

“Clay tiles are the most durable and impact-resistant roofing material I specify,” says Grenfell. “This was a three-color blend of Ludowici clay tiles with a rustic grooved surface, in keeping with our French Norman style. The client loves it!”

Grenfell positioned the turret inside the entry courtyard, just off the front door. The emblematic French Norman feature houses a spiral stair leading to secondfloor bedrooms. Narrow slits in the tower, now glazed, of course, remind us of the origins of these structures as a line of defense against Barbary slave raiding parties, which were a frequent danger on the Normandy coast during the Middle Ages. “The Ludowici roof on the turret gives us excellent protection now,” says Grenfell, “and it looks good, too.”

Named “Chestnut Hill,” the manor house sits proudly on 75 acres. Landscape architect Ben Page of Atlanta laid out a series of gardens and terraces and created a variety of outdoor destinations. All featuring Ludowici clay roof tiles, the outbuildings include a tractor barn and an auto garage with living quarters above.

“Knitting the house to the land is very important,” says Grenfell. “The house should have an intimate conversation with the land, in terms of sun angles, trees and topography. The Ludowici clay tile roof helps anchor the house to the land.”

Joe Thompson and his partner, Joe Bauer, of New Age Builders built Grenfell’s design using lessons learned from a previous renovation project where they used clay roof tiles to match existing ones. New Age Builders specializes in custom period homes and historic renovations, building from detailed hand drawings
provided by the architect.

Since its inception in 1986, Grenfell Architecture has been solely committed to the practice of traditional architecture. Their work might also be characterized as classical, in as much as it manifests the “highest and most enduring expressions of an artistic tradition.” Since buildings shape and are shaped by the environments around them, all of their work deliberately engages the fields of landscape, gardens and urbanism. Thus Grenfell’s work ranges in scale from garden pavilions to whole villages, and across a wide range of building types and architectural styles.