Built in 1920, it was the home until his death in 1948 of Josephus Daniels, influential Secretary of the Navy under President Woodrow Wilson, as well as a controversial editor of The News & Observer in Raleigh for decades.

[5] The front facade of the house was dominated by a four-column Neoclassical Greek portico, its columns capped by Egyptian capitals, and supporting a fully pedimented gable.

[1] Josephus Daniels, for whom the house was built in 1920, was one of the most important US Secretaries of the Navy in the 20th century, serving from 1913 to 1921 under President Woodrow Wilson.

Daniels brought the Navy to a wartime footing during World War I, and oversaw many improvements and reforms in its operations and practices.

He later served as United States Ambassador to Mexico, where he antagonized American oil interests by refusing to promote their agenda.

[7] In February 2021, the Raleigh City Council voted to revoke the property's historic landmark status, reportedly due to its association with Josephus Daniels, who, in addition to being a vehement white supremacist and segregationist, was also one of the leading perpetrators of the Wilmington insurrection of 1898.