Pinehurst Resort Owner Buys Village "Cottage"
Pinehurst Resort owner Robert Dedman Jr. has purchased the Fownes Cottage at 60 Village Green East in the historic district as a second home for his family. Photo by Glenn Sides.
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Robert Dedman Jr., the owner of Pinehurst Resort, and his family now have a home in Pinehurst.
The family has purchased Fownes (pronounced phones) Cottage, located at 60 Village Green East, in downtown Pinehurst.
According to Tufts Archives documentation, Fownes Cottage was built in 1914 by Henry C. Fownes, the founder of Oakmont Country Club in Pittsburgh Opened in 1904, that course has hosted 21 championships, including eight U.S. Opens.
The Cottage was a second home for the Fownes family, who wintered in Pinehurst. Dedman and his family currently live in Dallas, where he oversees the family company, DFI. He is a regular visitor to Pinehurst.
"Mr. Dedman and his family (including his mother and sister) have been looking for a place to buy in Pinehurst for several years," said Kerry Andrews, a spokesperson for Pinehurst Resort. "This is a result of that search."
Dedman was unavailable for comment.
Andrews said the home is a second home for the family. She said they will use it when they are here, and it will also be used for business and entertainment purposes.
Farrell Bushing, who lives on Village Green East, said he is excited to have new neighbors.
"For the guy who owns the place (Pinehurst Resort) to be living here, I think that is a wonderful idea," said Bushing, who has lived in his home for 14 years.
Fownes Cottage was sold on Dec. 28, according to property transfers from the Moore County Clerk of Deeds office and published in The Pilot. The house, which sits on 1.1 acres, was sold by Michael J. and Kelly C. McCrann to Fownes Cottage LP, for $1,975,000.
The home was listed in October 2012 for $2.25 million.
Local officials say it is a big deal to be able to count the Dedmans as residents of Pinehurst.
"We are excited, especially with the Opens coming," said Village Council member Doug Lapins. "It is a nice signal by the family and Mr. Dedman of their interest in and support of Pinehurst.
"It is just another part of the good relationship we (the village) have with those folks."
According to an online real estate listing for the home, it is located on three lots across 1.1 acres. It has seven bedrooms, six fireplaces, heart pine and oak floors. There is a three-bedroom, one bathroom apartment above a four-car garage.
Andrews said Dedman is considering changes to the interior of the home, but he isn't sure what those might be.
According to information on USGA.com, Henry Clay Fownes was born in Pittsburgh in 1856. He made his fortune in iron manufacturing. With his brother, William C. Fownes, Henry formed the Carrie Furnace Company, which was bought out by the Carnegie Steel Corporation in 1896. It made Fownes a wealthy man, and in retirement he was content to serve as a director on several boards and play a lot of golf.
Fownes, who died in 1935 from pneumonia, was friends with the Tufts family. He and his family owned six lots in Pinehurst until 1955, when all of them, including the cottage, were sold to Mrs. Otto C. Tomec, according to documentation from the Tufts Archives.
Pinehurst will host the 2014 U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open Championships. Oakmont will host the 2016 U.S. Open.
Contact Tom Embrey at (910) 693-2484 or tembrey @thepilot.com.
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Comments
alladat1 3 months, 2 weeks ago
That's not a "cottage" - it's "Dedman Abbey". Maybe I can get a job as a footman or valet for his Lordship.
JAP 3 months, 2 weeks ago
"Local officials say it is a big deal to be able to count the Dedmans as residents of Pinehurst"
The gentleman and his family are residents of Dallas. Yes, they now own propery in the village but that does not equate to being a resident.
Good try Pinehurst.
Poolboy150 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Who cares?.......the economy is broken......businesses are closing in this county.....unemployment is horrible.......and this newspaper has to report a family buying their 2nd house( a mansion not a "cottage" at that) when some can't even afford an apartment.......they are not residents....they are rich homeowners.......not against anyone being rich....good for them.....but how is it news?......hey Pilot....think about what you print and what you pass up to print!
njc17 3 months, 2 weeks ago
It's the Pinehurst thing to do.
buskwon 3 months, 2 weeks ago
WAAAAELL LAA DE FRICKIN' DA by KindaTrue
Toda 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Regardless of what locals think of the Dedman Family, they have provided jobs for many residents over the years. They influence local politics like spending taxpayers money on the airport for the wealthy to fly in from other states for a visit ...
Perhaps he may be in need of security personnel. I'm the man for the job....
TooHot 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Dallas and Pinehurst. Can't think of many places hotter than those 2.
doughnuts 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Nice spot for a bed and breakfast.
alladat1 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Boy Howdy - those last 2 posts were sure exciting!
Poolboy150 3 months, 2 weeks ago
So Toda......basically what you are saying.....this family has politicians in their back pockets huh?......The right way to do things huh?.....Like I said in my earlier post....there is nothing wrong with being rich.....I am not and I am not jealous.......most rich have earned it.....but buying a house is not news....when you bought your house (if you own one) did it make the paper?.......I know when my dad bought his house in Pinehurst it did not make the paper.
emb6683 3 months, 2 weeks ago
....when you bought your house (if you own one) did it make the paper?.
It sure did!! In the real estate transactions section.
Toda 3 months, 2 weeks ago
".basically what you are saying.....this family has politicians in their back pockets huh?"
debsalomon 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Y'know....If some Texas entrepreneur opens a business here that's important to the local economy --- but never shows up he's slammed as an absentee landlord who doesn't know squat about the area.....Then if he buys a house and spends a couple weeks here every year he's a carpetbagger not worth mentioning. Can't win for losing. As for the newsworthiness...I guarantee if Tiger Woods or Robert Redford or Lady Gaga or the president of General Motors bought a "cottage" here The Pilot would be expected to report the transaction. Couln't we just wait and see what the Dedmans do? Maybe they'll just shop, buy gas, order pizza, patronize the Sunrise -- contributing to the economy.
FYI: Cottage was the term applied to second homes of rich folks a century ago. It became compound, as in Hyannis and Kennebunkport.
alladat1 3 months, 2 weeks ago
If cottage was the proper term a century ago - why are we using it now? What is the century old term for "parking deck"?
alladat1 3 months, 2 weeks ago
BTW - Here's an interesting piece of history: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1016181/index.htm
truthmatterstome2 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Bite the hand that feeds you. Without Pinehurst there would be no Moore Regional Hospital which was the vision of Simone Chapin (who was a parttime resident of Pinehurst)...our largest employer. There would be no tourism. (thank you Mr. Tufts)...our second largest employer. Without the hospital and tourism Moore County would be nothing more than Hoke County West, Richmond or Scotland County North, or Montgomery County East. There would be essentially no work and thus little for anyone to purchase because businesses depend on customers. If you don't like this county, why don't you get the hell out of it? The Dedmon family has improved Pinehurst, purchased property in Aberdeen, and contribute to the tax base. What exactly do you do to support this county?