For homeowners Ron and Ann Grebing, the long wait is finally over.

Town council recently voted unanimously to adopt an ordinance that designates the Grebing’s house as a local historic landmark.

The home, located at 316 N. Salem St., is a familiar structure downtown. Built in 1900, the two-story White-Duncan house faces south and overlooks Salem St.

Gary Roth of Capital Area Preservation explained the house was built that way so the original owner, Martha Ann White, could sit on her porch and watch was happening downtown.

“The house has connections to many people in Apex history,” said Roth. “It was built at a time when Apex was becoming more prosperous. It’s a colonial revival style, which is more common in the big cities but one of the first in Apex.”

Ann Grebing said plans to designate the house as a landmark have been underway for years. The Wake County Historic Preservation Commission needed to complete a comprehensive process before the designation was made final.

“It really deserves to happen,” said Grebing. “It is the last standing structure from the original Shepherd’s Vineyard plantation. We were the first to own it outside of (the Dowd) family.

“This has been in the plans for a long time and they have been working on it for three years. The commission puts so much research into it. We are happy about it and so are the Dowd descendants.” In its connection to Rev. Patrick Dowd, Rev. J.M. White and J.A. Duncan, the 4,072-square foot house provides a link to Apex’s history.

Dowd, who was the first president of the N.C. Baptist State Convention, was the original owner of the property that the house now sits on. He built a 1,500-acre plantation in town around 1830 and named it Shepherd’s Vineyard.

The name was derived from the fact he was a circuit-riding minister and there were many wild grapes on the property.

Although Grebing isn’t related to those families she does feel a strong connection to the home.

“The house has been close to my heart all my life,” said Grebing, who purchased the home in 1993. “I grew up right across the street and always loved it. We are very pleased this has finally happened.” With a landmark designation the house now becomes recognized as an important resource worth preserving. Any substantial exterior changes are subject to the design review authority of the Wake County Historic Preservation Commission.

The property owners are also eligible for a 50 percent local property tax deferral as long as the designation remains.