ABOUT US

In 1907, Charles Campbell Coddington was a zestful young man full of initiative and resourcefulness who had been granted exclusive rights to distribute Buick automobiles in the Carolinas. Soon thereafter, he set out for Charlotte ready to grow his business, travelling in the first Buick seen south of the Mason-Dixon line. A routine stop at a Greensboro drug store, however, proved to be life changing. There he first laid eyes on 18-year-old Marjorie Lyon. She was a breathtaking young woman who had recently been voted the most beautiful in North Carolina, and C.C. put everything on hold until he could arrange a meeting with her. A month later the rendezvous took place and a year afterward they were married.

The newlyweds chose to lay down roots in Charlotte. Coddington's business saw great success and in 1917 the couple hired London-born architect William Peeps to design their new residence. Construction began at the corner of East Morehead Street and what was originally known as Coddington Avenue (now Berkeley Avenue); it was to be patterned to resemble Marjorie's childhood home in Pennsylvania. Upon completion the Coddington's and their young family moved in and immediately began to transform their home into one of the city's best-known centers of hospitality. The family's prominence in the local scene was nearly unrivaled. C.C. was a well-known, prosperous businessman and Marjorie was revered in the Charlotte area as a leader in social and civic activities. She held a reputation for being an exceptionally delightful hostess until her untimely death in 1925. Shortly thereafter, unable to bear the memories the home held, C.C. left Morehead Street and moved into the Duke Mansion in Myers Park. A few years later, he too died in a yachting accident in the Pamilico Sound off the North Carolina coast.

The "Old Coddington House" has stood the test of time, including Hurricane Hugo in 1989, which demolished many older structures in the area; a wedding was even successfully orchestrated that very weekend. It remained a private residence until 1980 and in 1984 was converted into a bed & breakfast known as the Morehead Inn. It is recognized by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Historic Properties Commission and continues to be the jewel of the Dilworth neighborhood.

Click here to further explore the the history of this beautiful home.