RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – A couple who has fought for years to build a modern house in a historic Southern neighborhood won the latest round in a legal battle that has drawn national attention.
The North Carolina Court of Appeals ruling Tuesday upheld local officials’ decision to allow the two-story house with modern twists in Raleigh’s Oakwood neighborhood. The house is owned by architect Louis Cherry and his wife, Marsha Gordon.
A real estate agent who lives across the street, Gail Wiesner, had fought the couple from the Raleigh Historic Development Commission all the way to the appeals court.
Wiesner argued the house didn’t fit in and would “contribute to erosion of the neighborhood’s value,” according to court documents. She also said she’d been negatively impacted by journalists “waiting to ambush her” for an interview, along with attention from outlets including NBC’s TODAY show.
The appeals court ruled those issues weren’t enough to give Wiesner legal standing to challenge the design.