Authentically Winston-Salem

The groundbreaking was on January 15. Built in the Norman Revival style, the Manor House featured steel and concrete construction with a veneer of fieldstone from local quarries. As many as 136 people worked on the construction of the estate at one time.

The Gray family moved into the Manor House in 1932. With approximately 60 rooms, the house was one of the largest in North Carolina, second only to Biltmore. The grounds and gardens were designed by Thomas Sears of Philadelphia, PA.

On July 7, Bowman Gray died while vacationing with his family aboard a ship in the Northern Atlantic Ocean. He was buried at sea.

The Grays’ sons, Bowman, Jr. and Gordon, and their wives moved into the Graylyn Estate. In 1938, Nathalie Gray married Mr. Benjamin Bernard, and moved into what is now known as Bernard Cottage, where she lived until her death in 1961.

Mrs. Gray and her sons gave the estate to the Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Wake Forest University. The estate served as an academic hospital facility until 1959. From 1959 to 1972, it housed many academic programs for the medical school.

Gordon Gray purchased the estate from the medical school and, on the same day, donated Graylyn to Wake Forest University.

On June 22, a fire ignited on the third floor of the Manor House during an outdoor concert by the Winston-Salem Symphony. The following day, the president of Wake Forest University, Dr. James Ralph Scales, announced that the home would be restored to its original splendor.

In January, Graylyn International Conference Center opened following a $6 million renovation. Thomas Alexander Gray, grandson of Bowman and Nathalie Gray, was the preservation consultant for the restoration.

Graylyn was named to the National Register of Historic Places.

Restoration began on the Mews, a Normandy-style farm complex on the estate, thus adding another dimension to Graylyn. The project included 35 guest rooms alongside lounges, meeting rooms, and a dining room, doubling guest capacity.

In October, Graylyn renovated the Gardener’s Cottage, thereby making available four additional guest rooms.

Graylyn became a member of the Historic Hotels of American, a program affiliated with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which was once chaired by Gordon Gray.