Heide-Futch House

The Neoclassical Revival style house was popular between 1893-1940 with the height of popularity between 1900 to 1929. Notably, the house built for Rudolph E. Heide was ahead of the popular time. This style of house consists of classical symmetry and a full-height porch. Dentil cornices are popular among the classical ornaments that surround the house. The Neoclassical style is a revival style of the much grander Greek Revival style seen in the early 19th century.¹  Other characteristics that define this style are windows double hung sashes, balustrades on the porch, and add ons such as a sun room. The decoratives of this style range in doorways and boxed eves. The roofs of this style are side-gabled or hipped and medium pitched. Furthermore, this style was most commonly used for public buildings and banks.²  

The first owner of this house is Rudolph E. Heide born May 17, 1832. Heide was born in Rudkjobing Denmark and eventually arrived in New York in 1854 before moving down south to Fayetteville in 1855. Heide was born to Baron H. H. Vone Heide who was killed in 1848 during the First Schleswig War, which left Rudolph Heide with the title of Baron. However, in 1853 he relinquished his title of Baron and set towards America, originally arriving in New York. A year later he moved down south to Wilmington and in one more year he resided in Fayetteville.³  During his time in Fayetteville, the Civil War began and Heide became a soldier for the Confederacy. He served in the Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry and during the war he was a defender of Fort Fisher. 

Heide moved back to Wilmington in 1870 where William L. Larkins sold the property to him for $550. He resided here until 1891, four years before his death on June 13, 1895. Throughout his time in Wilmington, Heide was known for being a grocer, a ship broker, and vice-consul of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. As vice-consul, he helped citizens from these countries and protected the trade interests these countries had. For many years before his death, Heide was a member of St. John’s Church, the Royal Arcanumm, and the American Legion of Honor.⁴

Heide was married to Catherine Exum of Raleigh around his earlier years of being in Fayetteville. Strunk was born June 8, 1834, and over her years of marriage had seven children with Heide. Catherine lived until her death on December 20, 1891; upon Strunk's husband's death in 1895, five children were left behind.⁵ The seven children are as follows: Eleanor, Henry H., Elizabeth, Joseph, Kate, Thomas A., and George. George had remained in Wilmington after his parents' deaths.

The home was purchased several times between the years of 1891 to 1898 by HA Kure, then by James S. Worth, and finally by JWH Fuchs. John William Henry Fusch was born in 1871, in Germany, as the son of Henry and Anna Maas Futchs. JWH Fuchs married to Mary (Marie) Strunk in April 30, 1884. By 1898 the Fusch’s moved to America when he was 14, and spent is first three years in Illinois. He then resided in Wilmington, N.C. Fuchs became a grocer and proprietor of Futchs Department Store.⁶  Fuchs began his store in 1904 but had previously been involved in the grocery business since 1895. The department store sold clothing, notions, grocers, cigars, tobacco, and liquors. For his business, Fuchs operated on 28 and 30 South Front Street. His business dealt with wholesale and retail, enabling him to wholesale to other grocers and supply stores. 

While he ran this business he maintained a merchant tailoring department. Within this department, custom-made clothing was produced. This department helped to supply police, fire, military, and society organization uniforms to order. Futhering his business expertise, he owned half of the interest of another business: the boot and shoe store, Carl Strunch and Co.⁷ After his merchant business, Mr. Futchs became involved in the real estate and insurance business. Furthermore, he was active in civil life and was an advocate of civil reforms and improvements. Fuchs resided in this house until his death on April 24, 1938. 

Marie C.M. Strunck was born in Germany to P.W. Strunk and Auguste Von Kempen. Together Heide and Strunk had seven children as follows: Agusta, Wilhelmina, John W.H. Jr., Carl, John F., Christie K., and Marie J. During their time here the Fuchs’ enlarged the house to become a duplex.⁸ Marie eventually died on the 1st of January, 1932. After both parents’ deaths, the house has remained in the family. 

In 1910 the house was extended frontwards twenty feet and the porch was updated to a wrap around porch. Around this time a new outhouse building was built in the southeastern portion of the lot. The L-shaped rear porch appeared to be more narrow in the 1915 Sanborn Insurance Company map.⁹

The Heide-Futch house has much of its history with the foreign residents it housed. In 2009 the Wilmington Historic Preservation Commission received an application for work to be done to the house's landscape. The plans were to remove and install trees, replace the sidewalk and pavers, and install a fountain in the front yard.¹⁰ There have been no further developments of the house since then, but it remains a part of Wilmington's history today.