Story of A House
Lost and Found Barn Talented renovators Cyndy and Rick Hayworth turned a sad one-story house into a home of rediscovered treasures
By Jim Schlosser
T
he house at 1903 North Elm Street may lack that all-important real estate ingredient: location. A clever agent, however, could, with a slight stretch, boast that the house sits on the fringe of Irving Park. Nevertheless, it faces one of Greensboro’s busiest streets. A car trying to turn across traffic into the driveway the other day had to let at least twenty other cars pass. The house also wouldn’t please a suburban purist, who would likely be put off by its proximity to a commercial district. A gas station, barbershop and drugstore are practically next-door neighbors. Plus, the house has a scandalous past: A previous owner used a backyard building — called the Above Ground Basement — as a high-stakes poker parlor. Rumors buzzed of women in the gambling den. The owner also took full advantage of the front yard. He sold autos there. But Cyndy Hayworth wasn’t daunted by the house’s reputation or the busyness around it. She was used to living in homes of different shapes and comfort levels. She and her husband, Rick, once lived in a tobacco barn they converted near Summerfield. They sold it for eleven times what they paid for it. After two more houses in the rural area, they moved in 2005 to 1905 North Elm, at the corner of Newlyn Street. That’s next door to their present 1903 North Elm home. Investing $100,000, they renovated the corner house so beautifully it was chosen for the city’s Home and Garden Tour in 2007. The Art & Soul of Greensboro
“Anything Cyndy does is A1,” says former neighbor Olivia Kelly. “She is a perfectionist.” In 2009, the Hayworths turned their attention and money to the neighboring house. It was built in 1960 by a contractor who lived there briefly. It also served as the parsonage of nearby Newlyn Street United Methodist. In more recent times came the poker-playing, car-hustling man. When the Hayworths bought it, the house had been converted into a group home. Since then, the couple has transformed the house into a stunning abode. It is classic ranch-style, common in the 1950s and 1960s (and said to be making a comeback), except removal of walls have made the floor plan open. The house is hard to miss with its celery green facade. The reaction of anyone peeking through the front door may be similar to that of famed archeologist Howard Carter. When he first looked into King Tut’s tomb and was asked if he saw anything, Carter replied, “Yes, wonderful things.” Cyndy and Rick have made the rounds of area antique shops and old houses, buying lots of wonderful things. The floral pedestal decorating the entrance came from the studio of renowned interior designer Virginia Zenke. The double doors to the Hayworths’ den are from Chinqua Penn Plantation in Rockingham County. Cyndy found them there perched against a garage and paid $200 for the pair. Granted, some of the window slots in the doors were missing or cracked, but she had replacements installed in varying colors. She says guests find the odd glass combinations fascinating. At Mary’s Antiques, she spotted some mahogany doors from Tahiti. April 2013
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