Carolina Beach in New Hanover County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

The Joy Lee Apartment Building and Annex

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 22, 2024

1. The Joy Lee Apartment Building and Annex Marker

Inscription.
circa 1945
A design by Grover Lee Lewis has been entered in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior April 3, 1997

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1945.

Location. 34° 2.258′ N, 77° 53.44′ W. Marker is in Carolina Beach, North Carolina, in New Hanover County. It is on Carolina Beach Avenue North south of Dolphin Lane, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 317 Carolina Beach Ave N, Carolina Beach NC 28428, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain and on the Cape Fear Coast.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Tidewater,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically,

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it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Loughlin Cottage (approx. 0.3 miles away); Battlefield of Sugar Loaf (approx. 0.6 miles away); Joseph Ryder Lewis Jr. Civil War Park (approx. 0.6 miles away); We are strongly entrenched here... (approx. 0.7 miles away); To close the port of Wilmington... (approx. 0.7 miles away); For a little while it was a lively and interesting fight (approx. 0.7 miles away); I hope we can hold Wilmington (approx. 0.7 miles away); Sugar Loaf Line (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Carolina Beach.

Regarding The Joy Lee Apartment Building and Annex. Excerpts from the National Register nomination:

Grover Lewis, a masonry construction worker, together with his family moved to Carolina Beach from High Point, North Carolina, in March, 1941. Mr. Lewis found employment with the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company and moved his family into the
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 22, 2024

2. The Joy Lee Apartment Building and Annex Marker
The marker is at the apartment complex's front entrance.
Marianette Cottage on North Carolina Avenue, slightly north of the business district of Carolina Beach. When the lot next door was filled in by a storm in the fall of 1944, the Lewis's decided to purchase it. Mr. Lewis immediately began designing the apartment building he named Joy Lee after his daughter. …

Due to the popularity of the Joy Lee Apartment Building as a vacation destination, in 1948 Mr. Lewis added the Annex building. …

The Joy Lee Apartment Building and Annex are a unique combination of several popular architectural styles, including Mission Style, Art Deco, and Art Moderne. Designed by the owner using hand made cement blocks, the Joy Lee Apartment building reflects the owner's desire to incorporate several popular beach architectural styles into one building, while the Annex reflects a more sophisticated and fully developed Art Moderne Style.

Also see . . . The Joy Lee Apartment Building and Annex (PDF). National Register nomination for the complex, which was listed in 1997. (Prepared by Elizabeth W. Keane; via North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office) (Submitted on December 5, 2024, by Duane and
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 22, 2024

3. The Joy Lee Apartment Building
The Lewis family used a hand-operated block press to make concrete blocks used in its construction. The press made two blocks at a time, and the family typically made 50 blocks per evening after working during the day.
Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

The Joy Lee Apartment Annex image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 22, 2024

4. The Joy Lee Apartment Annex

The Art Moderne style annex was added in 1948, three years after the main building was constructed.

Credits. This page was last revised on December 7, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 5, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 167 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 5, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.