The Edwin Cochran Guy House, built in 1916, is significant at the local level under Criterion B for its association with Edwin Cochran Guy (1884-1955), a Newland banker who was also engaged in mining, timber, and railway ventures throughout Avery County. Guy played a critical role in the development of the community of Newland and the transformation of Newland into a bustling commercial and industrial center in the early twentieth century. In addition to his role as cashier, and later president and chairman of the board of directors, of the Avery County Bank, Guy is credited with creating Newland’s first waterworks system and its first power company, chartered as the Newland Light and Power Company in 1920. Guy also played a role in extending power lines from Newland to Montezuma and Linville, providing electricity to those communities for the first time as well.

In addition, the Edwin Cochran Guy House is significant at the local level under Criterion C as an outstanding, well-preserved example of Craftsman-style architecture in both Newland and Avery County. The Edwin Cochran Guy House is far and away the finest example of such architecture within the town of Newland, and there are few, if any, surviving examples within similar communities in Avery County that rival the refinement of the Guy House. A rear addition and other improvements completed circa 1937 further amplified the Guy House’s reputation, under the name “Oakland Heights,” as a home to be visited by luminaries passing through the county.

The Edwin Cochran Guy House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on December 10, 2021.