The imposing house at 284 West Main Street is truly a fine representative of both American Georgian Revival style and the earlier work of S. Bryant Heard. Built in 1922, the structure reflects a time when American tastes were turning from eclectic Victorian architecture to a less extravagant definition of historical style that borrowed less and less from French Norman castles or Italian palazzos, and increasingly from models of 18th century English buildings, or from America’s Colonial past. Designed for Mr. and Mrs. Emmett F. Magee, the house stands near the western edge of [John F.] Ficklen’s Field. The Magee’s deed stipulated that no dwelling could be any closer than 35 feet to West Main Street, in line with other houses in the block. Mr. Magee, president of a prominent tobacco brokerage firm, and his wife, the former Marie Stith, no doubt found this house eminently suitable, not only as a symbol of personal prosperity for a well-heeled tobacconist and his family, but also as a place to entertain and display the gifts and souvenirs of a lifetime of world travel. The house was in fact altered during construction when it was determined that two mirrors, purchased on a trip to Europe, were too tall for their intended sites above the mantels in the living room and sitting room. The builders, or perhaps Mr. Heard, the architect, saw that the ceilings were raised to accommodate the prized mirrors which still grace these lofty rooms today. Upon completion, this finely-proportioned Georgian-Revival brick house with stick mortar joints was assessed in the 1923 property records at $12,000, a princely sum in the early 1920s. 

Mrs. Magee survived her husband by eighteen years. Upon her death in 1989, her heirs sold the house to Mr. and Mrs. Gary L. Bengston. Mr. and Mrs. John E. Barker were its next owners, in 1978. The following year the house was purchased by its present owners, Mr. and Mrs. Delano Cocke. Over nearly a decade now Mr. and Mrs. Cocke have, room by room, completed a scrupulous restoration, once again allowing this charming home to assume its former air of dignity and cloak of gentle sophistication. Mellow oak floors, and shining brass and silver chandeliers now glow, much as they must have when they were new.