The Coleman House at 36 Montford Ave. (where the Chamber of Commerce now sits) was a cause célèbre in the late 1970s when its owner, William Coleman died. “The Coleman house commanded the entrance to and established the historic atmosphere of the entire Montford area,” states the newsletter of the Montford community. Montford, on the National Register of Historic Places since 1977, came under the protection of a local historic district status in 1981. In March 1978, the Preservation Society began acting as the home’s agent and sold it to Frank Puett, who’d gotten a lower price based on his agreement to preserve the house. Later Puett, citing renovation costs, obtained a permit to demolish the house for his restaurant, the Peddler Steakhouse. The newly formed Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County tried to save the late 1880s Queen Anne residence. They offered to buy it from him for eight times his purchase price. Puett surprised everyone by demolishing it before any intervention could be negotiated further. Sadly, The Coleman house came down on April 28, 1979. From the Barbara Baer Capitman Archives, shown is a photograph of The Coleman House and a 1983 calendar presented by The Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County of North Carolina.
