Historic Landmarks and Districts

Sheppard Memorial Library

Welcome to the Greenville, NC Historic Property Story Map

This information is intended to be an informational and educational tool for those who are interested in historic structures in Greenville. Structures can be recognized for its historical significance as a standalone property or within a district. There are two types of historic designations either listed on the National Register of Historic Places (National Register) which is a national designation and /or designated locally.  A property can be designated nationally, locally or both. While the designations and responsibilities are different, the intent is still the same which is to recognize and protect historic properties.  You can view standalone properties and districts on this site.


Greenville, NC has 29 Local Landmarks (4 are also listed on the National Register) and 3 are only listed on the National Register. The City has 5 National Register Districts including the College View Historic District which is Greenville’s only local historic district.

 The Greenville Historic Preservation Commission  (HPC) has purview over the building exterior and grounds of Local Landmarks and properties located in the College View Historic District. Routine maintenance can typically be approved by City Staff. Other changes have to be approved by the HPC via a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) prior to beginning the work, regardless of other required city permits. Any work has to be in accordance with the  Greenville Design Guidelines. 

How are properties determined to be historic?

Historic properties are evaluated and designated for their significance in terms of history, prehistory, cultural importance, and architecture.


Local Landmarks and National Registered Properties

Local Landmark Designation

A Local Landmark designation is an honor in which the community believes the property deserves recognition and protection. As part of the responsibilities of owning and maintaining a historic properties, North Carolina allow a 50% property tax deferral on local landmarks as long as the historic significance is maintained.

If you are interested in having a property designated as a local landmark, please contact City Staff at 252-329-4498. The first step is for the owner to complete the  Local Landmark application . Upon completion, the application will be presented to the Selection Committee of the HPC who will evaluate if the property could be designated as a local landmark.

If the Selection Committee gives a favorable recommendation, the property owner is responsible for the preparation of a survey and research report (report). This report can be prepared by the property owner or a professional consultant. Staff can provide a list of consultants. The purpose of the report is to document the integrity and significance of the property. The completed report will be presented to the HPC for its acceptance. If accepted by a majority vote of the HPC, the report is forwarded to the NC State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) for its review and comments. The report and SHPO’s comments are brought back to the HPC for its recommendation. After the HPC’s consideration, the report is forwarded to City Council for a final vote as to if the property should be designated as a local landmark.

National Register Designation

A National Register designation is honorary which means the property has been researched, evaluated and determined to be worthy of preservation for its historical value by the NC SHPO and the National Park Service, which is part of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Properties listed on the National Register can be districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that are significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture.

Along with significance, properties also have to possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association, and (A) are associated with events that have made significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; or (B) are associated with the lives of persons significant in our past; or (C) embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represent the work of a master, or that possess high artistic values, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction; or (D) have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.

The HPC has no purview over National Register Properties. There are  federal tax credits  available to these properties.

Shown above: Blount Harvey building, E. B. Ficklen House, Proctor Hotel, and the Greenville Municipal Building.

Select the names below for more information.

Albion Dunn House and Grounds

Local Historic Landmark

Frank Wilson Store

Local Historic Landmark

Frank Wilson Office

Local Historic Landmark

Walter Lancaster Harrington House

Local Historic Landmark

Flanagan Wagner House

Local Historic Landmark

Navigation Locks on the Tar River

Local Historic Landmark

Third Street School & Grounds

Local Historic Landmark

Glenn - Pender - Moore House

Local Historic Landmark

Skinner Building & Grounds

Local Historic Landmark

Alfred M. Moseley House & Grounds

Local Historic Landmark

Greenville Municipal Building

Local Historic Landmark

Rotary Club Building & Grounds

Local Historic Landmark

Skinner House & Grounds

Local Historic Landmark

Patrick - Arthur House

Local Historic Landmark

Jacob W. Higgs House & Grounds

Local Historic Landmark

King Simmons Lodge & Grounds

Local Historic Landmark

Hassell - James Building & Grounds

Local Historic Landmark

Proctor Hotel & Grounds

Local Historic Landmark

Charles O'Hagan Horne, Sr. House & Grounds

Local Historic Landmark

Blount - Harvey Building

Local Historic Landmark

Sheppard Memorial Library

Local Historic Landmark

Wiley Cobb House

Local Historic Landmark

Dr. William I. Wooten House & Grounds

Local Historic Landmark

Robert. L Humber House & Grounds

Local and National Register Historic Landmark

E. B. Ficklen House & Grounds

Local and National Register Historic Landmark

William H. Long House and Grounds

Local and National Register Historic Landmark

James Fleming House

National Register Historic Landmark

Pitt County Courthouse

National Register Historic Landmark

Federal Building (Former U.S. Post Office)

National Register Historic Landmark

J.R. Moye House

Local and National Register Historic Landmark

Brown Hill Cemetery

Local Historic Landmark

Cherry Hill Cemetery

Local Historic Landmark

Albion Dunn House and Grounds

Local Historic Landmark

707 W. 4th Street

Described as “one of the finest early 20th century residences in Greenville” the Albion Dunn House is also significant as being one of two surviving dwellings designed and built by William Bertrand Baker (born 1876), who designed commercial and residential buildings in Greenville before WWI.

Frank Wilson Store

Local Historic Landmark

401 S. Evans Street

The Frank Wilson Store, building and lot, was owned by J. B. Cherry & Co. and the present building was built after the fire of May 4, 1899, which destroyed 25 stores and other buildings in downtown Greenville, NC. After the fire, J. B. Cherry & Co., contracted with Hill C. Linthicum, architect and builder of Henderson, NC, to build a new building on the site. The upstairs of the Frank Wilson Building, served as the Greenville City Hall from 1899 to 1905 and the offices of the Pitt County Department of Education. 

Frank Wilson Office

Local Historic Landmark

106 E. 4th Street

The J. B. Cherry & Co.-Frank Wilson Office Building, constructed in 1899, exemplifies Greenville’s shift from frame to masonry commercial structures following devastating fires. Built at a time when the town was thriving as a center of tobacco warehousing and processing. It is associated with prominent businessmen of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and is a rare example of a modest commercial building designed and built by architect and builder Hill Carter Linthicum, of Henderson and Durham. 

Walter Lancaster Harrington House

Local Historic Landmark

905 E. Fifth Street

The Walter Lancaster Harrington House is a significant example of the brick bungalow style in the College View District in Greenville. Built in 1924, it is unlike any other style of home built on Fifth Street, built with blonde bricks was thoroughly modern in appearance when it was built. The other point of significance is that the home was built for Walter Lancaster Harrington (1902-1978), the man who co-owned and developed much of the College View District.

Flanagan Wagner House

Local Historic Landmark

903 E. Fifth Street

The Flanagan-Wagner House is a fine example of the Tudor Revival style in the College View District in Greenville. The house is one of the smaller houses built on East Fifth Street among larger homes, but it is exceptionally well crafted and is the finest example of its style on Fifth Street. Built in 1938, the one-and-one-half-story brick house has numerous features on the exterior and interior which exemplify the Tudor Revival style.

Navigation Locks on the Tar River

Local Historic Landmark

300 Ash Street

Construction of the Navigation Locks on the Tar River began in 1853 and were completed in 1856. The remnants of the locks are located in the Tar River near the north end of Ash Street and further located running along the south bank of the Tar River. It consists of a series of approximately 16 cribs each being filled with river sediment and partly covered by trees. The locks are visible when low water conditions exist in the Tar River.

Third Street School & Grounds

Local Historic Landmark

600-700 W. Third Street

The school was designed by George R. Berryman of Berryman and Kennedy in Raleigh, and erected by S.S. Toller and Sons. Both additions were designed by James W. Griffith. The Third Street School is a handsome composition of the Northern Italian Renaissance Revival style, a style popular in the 1920’s and 1930’s and often confused or mixed with Spanish Mission Revival style employed in the same period.

Glenn - Pender - Moore House

Local Historic Landmark

510 W. 4th Street

The Glenn-Pender-Moore House is a well preserved and neatly detailed example of the vernacular Italianate style of the 1880’s. Its distinctive window pediments, deep frieze and slender Italianate porch posts are superimposed on the traditional I-house form. This home was one of the first to be built in the subdivision platted by Harry Skinner and may be the oldest surviving house in Skinnerville and one of the oldest in Greenville.

Skinner Building & Grounds

Local Historic Landmark

123 W. 3rd Street

The Louis C. Skinner Building is located on a lot that is part of the original plan for the City of Greenville (founded in 1774) and is one of only two documented antebellum buildings still standing in the central business district. It may also be the oldest residence in the city. The main block of the current structure was erected around 1845-50 and there are several late 19th and early 20th century additions to the building. In all likelihood, there probably were various out buildings on the property over the years.

Alfred M. Moseley House & Grounds

Local Historic Landmark

402 W. 4th Street

T he building is not of a clearly definable style, but shows modest Colonial Revival detailing and more pronounced Craftsman-Prairie Schools of architecture, all fashionable during the first decades of the 20th century. The designer is unknown; the substantial structure is built with a variety of materials that contribute contrasting horizontal textural elements to its appearance.

Greenville Municipal Building

Local Historic Landmark

201 W. 5th Street

The Greenville Municipal Building was built by one of eastern North Carolina’s leading architects, Frank W. Benton of Wilson in 1939 and stands as one of the most impressive examples of the Art Deco style in Greenville. This structure was commissioned to be the “new City Hall”.

Rotary Club Building & Grounds

Local Historic Landmark

809 Johnston Street

The Greenville Rotary Club was organized in 1919. In 1920 Franklin V. Johnston, a charter member, donated a piece of land adjacent to the site of his future home for the construction of a club building. The Rotary Club was designed by local architect C.B. West and completed in 1921. The original plans called for a reading room, dining room, locker room, and kitchen on the first floor, and a 40-by-40 foot gym on the second floor. A large swimming pool was planned next to the building by was never constructed. The two-story brick club building is a rare survivor in that most early clubs and fraternal organizations meet in existing buildings. A one-story brick addition was added to the east elevation in the mid-1920s. 

Skinner House & Grounds

Local Historic Landmark

803 E. 5th Street

The Skinner House was built in 1927 for prominent Greenville physician, Dr. L.C. Skinner and his wife, Daisy Minor Skinner. The Skinners lived in the home until their deaths, after which the home was sold to the Gamma Beta Chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority in 1961. The Skinner house represents one of the more architecturally ambitious residences in this neighborhood of predominantly bungalow type homes and is one of the finest examples of Colonial Revival architecture in the city.

Patrick - Arthur House

Local Historic Landmark

300 W. 14th Street

The 2-story L-shaped Patrick-Arthur House is typical of simple Victorian houses constructed in the late 19th century and was originally part of a 135 acre farm. Paired front gables with cornices and returns punctuated with decorative vents mark the façade. The one-story porch is supported by square posts that are probably later replacements.

The house was moved from its original location (SE corner of E. 14th Street and Charles Blvd.) to its current location at the NE corner of E. 14th and S. Pitt Street on November 29, 1988.

Jacob W. Higgs House & Grounds

Local Historic Landmark

1112 Dickinson Avenue

Built in 1903-1905, the J.W. Higgs House is one of the most intact examples of the substantial turn-of-the-century Queen Anne/Colonial Revival Houses surviving in Greenville. Its elaborate and embellished double stair, tin ceiling, and paneled hallway are unique in this area. The house is also associated with Jacob W. Higgs, one of Greenville’s most prominent businessmen of the period and a developer of the Higgs neighborhood.

King Simmons Lodge & Grounds

Local Historic Landmark

505 W. 14th Street

King Simmons Lodge No. 122 is significant for its association with Greenville’s African American community. The building was erected in 1911 for the local chapter of the Knights of Gideon, a Norfolk, VA-based African American benevolent organization that provided health and burial services, business assistance, and other forms of economic and social assistance. The lodge’s early members were drawn from the ranks of Greenville’s black merchant and working classes. The second floor of the plainly detailed building served as a lodge room until the early 1930’s when economic pressures led to the dissolution of the lodge.

Hassell - James Building & Grounds

Local Historic Landmark

105 - 107 W. 3rd Street

City directories establish a date of construction sometime between 1911 and 1916. The building was built by physician Stark Hassel and attorneys Fernando Godfrey James and son, James Burton James, who was elected mayor in 1913 and served as county attorney from 1920 – 1932. In 1951, J.B. James formed a law partnership with W.W. Speight. The firm James and Speight was headquartered in 105 W. Third St. Upon James death in 1959, Speight purchased 105 W. Third St. Since the 1930’s the Hassell family has rented 107 W. Third St. to local attorneys. 107 W. Third St. remained in the Hassell family until 1963.

Proctor Hotel & Grounds

Local Historic Landmark

301 N. Evans Street

The hotel was constructed at a key point in the City’s history following the fire of 1919, which destroyed a large number of structures in the city, including the courthouse, Masonic Temple, and the jail. Construction was part of a massive rebuilding effort that coincided with construction of the new Neo-Classical style courthouse and Florentine Revival Post Office on the adjacent corners, and smaller brick buildings in the surrounding area. It anchors one of the few remaining blocks in the downtown where examples of this historic commercial architecture remain.

Charles O'Hagan Horne, Sr. House & Grounds

Local Historic Landmark

706 W. 4th Street

Embodying social trends associated with the suburban development of Skinnerville, the Charles O’Hagan Horne House was built in 1916 during the neighborhood’s heyday. The home reflects the Colonial Revival and Craftsman styles popularized during the early 20th century. Through the years, each owner has recognized both its architectural character and integrity, and promoted its preservation for the future.

Blount - Harvey Building

Local Historic Landmark

330 Evans Street

Completed in 1923 in the heart of downtown Greenville, the Blount-Harvey Building stands as an important early 20th century standard commercial building with stylized stone detailing that encompasses the building. 

Sheppard Memorial Library

Local Historic Landmark

530 S. Evans Street

This public building was built in 1930 as a memorial to William Henry Haywood Sheppard, a Pitt County farmer and clerk of Pitt County Court in 1849-1861 and 1879-1881. The building was designed by architect Leslie N. Boney of Wilmington. The 2-story side wings were added in 1969 and designed by Boney’s son.

Wiley Cobb House

Local Historic Landmark

300 S. Pitt Street

The house was built ca. 1934 by prominent local citizen Kinchen Wiley Cobb. An Impressive frame and brick one-and-a-half story Colonial Revival style dwelling with a distinctive Craftsman-style eave overhang and full basement. It's a rare and important example of homes built in the 1930’s depression era near the city’s commercial downtown.

Dr. William I. Wooten House & Grounds

Local Historic Landmark

403 Maple Street

The Dr. William I. Wooten House and Grounds is a representative example of the Colonial Revival style from the 1920’s and 1930’s. The home was built in 1934 and 1935 and successfully mixes the symmetry and formal design elements of the style taken from American Georgian, Federal, and Greek Revival architecture. The home is well preserved and is set in its original ample, landscaped grounds. 

Robert. L Humber House & Grounds

Local and National Register Historic Landmark

508 W. 5th Street

Occupying a large corner lot east of the Greenville Municipal Building, the Robert Lee Humber House was built in 1895 for Robert Lee Humber, Sr. and served as the home for Robert Lee Humber, Jr. during his illustrious career in public service. A substantial 2.5 story frame house with Queen Anne and Colonial Revival details, the house sits on a lot with mature plantings and a tall vertical board and latticework fence separating its side and rear grounds from a paved municipal parking lot.

E. B. Ficklen House & Grounds

Local and National Register Historic Landmark

508 W. 5th Street

The most sophisticated and elaborate Queen Anne-style dwelling in Greenville was built in 1902 by Edward Ficklen. Distinguished by expansive porches, a tall corner tower, and projecting gables, it stands as a reflection of Greenville’s importance as a tobacco marketing and processing center before and after 1900.

William H. Long House and Grounds

Local and National Register Historic Landmark

200 E. 4th Street

The William H. Long House is a representative example of the Neo-Classical Revival style home built in North Carolina by prosperous businessmen and community leaders during the first quarter of the twentieth century. A two-story brick residence dominated by a monumental tetrastlye portico, the house is well proportioned and displays elements that suggest growing popularity on the Colonial Revival style.

James Fleming House

National Register Historic Landmark

302 S. Greene Street

Built during the City's first major growth period, this fine example of Queen Ann style of residential architecture was constructed in 1901-1902. With its slate roof, cast-iron wrap around porch and polygonal towner this 3,400 square foot home continues to play an important role in the City's historical process. 

Pitt County Courthouse

National Register Historic Landmark

3rd and Evans Street

The Pitt County Courthouse is located on the corner of South Evans and West Third streets in Greenville, NC. The architectural firm of Milburn, Heister, & Company; Heister built the courthouse in 1911 after the previous courthouse was destroyed by one of the worst fires in Greenville history. The building is a three-story hip roof brick building, resembling the Neo-Classical Revival style of architecture. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.  

Federal Building (Former U.S. Post Office)

National Register Historic Landmark

3rd and Evans Street

Greenville's former United States Post Office built in 1913-1914 is an impressive, well preserved example of Florentine Renaissance Revival architecture, a rare example in eastern North Carolina. This building stands as an important reminder of the past in a city that has undergone extensive urban renewal.

J.R. Moye House

Local and National Register Historic Landmark

408 W. Fifth Street

Built in 1902 the Jesse R. Moye House is an elegant Queen Ann-style house with Colonial Revival details. Defined by its large picturesque wrap-a-round front porch, three sided bays, and decorative attic windows. The J.R. Moye House continues to stand as a monument of its architect.

Brown Hill Cemetery

Local Historic Landmark

811 Howell Street

Beginning as a slave cemetery, then becoming a community cemetery known as “Cooper/Cooper’s Field,” and finally as “Brown Hill Cemetery” in 1939, Brown Hill is the largest and perhaps the oldest black cemetery in the City of Greenville. In 1969, the cemetery of the Sycamore Hill Missionary Baptist Church was moved from downtown to Brown Hill Cemetery. Sycamore Hill Missionary Baptist Church was the largest and most prominent black church in downtown Greenville. Brown Hill Cemetery holds the collective memory of black history of Greenville.

Cherry Hill Cemetery

Local Historic Landmark

In 1872, Tilman R. Cherry gave the Town of Greenville three and a half acres for a cemetery. The unique part is that he set aside a portion for the burial of black citizens. Over time, small pieces of land were added. In addition, a few graves from the ancient Greenville public cemetery were moved here. Civil War soldiers were moved from the 1858 Greenville Public Cemetery, and the neighboring church cemeteries of the Episcopal Church and the Methodist Church were taken into Cherry Hill. The leading citizens of Pitt County and Greenville between 1872-1924 were buried here until the purchase of Greenwood Cemetery in 1924


Historic Districts

Designation is an honor, meaning the community believes the architecture, history, and character of the area are worthy of recognition and protection. -NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

Historic Districts

Greenville has four National Districts, and one Local and National District.

College View Local and National Historic District

National Historic District created in 1992. Designated locally in 1994 with roughly 31 blocks comprising of mostly single family and duplex dwellings. The Architectural Survey can be found  here .

Tobacco Warehouse Historic District

National Historic District created in 1997. Comprised mostly of old Tobacco warehouses built during the heyday of the tobacco industry in Pitt County. The Architectural Survey can be found  here .

Dickinson Avenue Historic District

National Historic District created in 2007. Comprised of mostly commercial buildings from 1902-1956. The Architectural Survey can be found  here .

Skinnerville-Greenville Heights Historic District

National Historic District created in 2005. The area has a mix of single/ multi family dwellings and commercial as well as the historic Cherry Hill Cemetery. The Architectural Survey can be found  here .

Greenville Commercial Historic District

National Historic District created in 2003. Old trade and commercial buildings from 1900-1956 as well as original government buildings. The Architectural Survey can be found  here .

Contact the Planning Department for additional information 252.329.4498.