{"nrhp_refnum":"00000443","name":"Brooklyn Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Roughly bounded by Spring Branch Creek, S. Fifth St., S. Third St., and Lee St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Smithfield","county":"Johnston County","state":"NC","lat":35.50611314150004,"lon":-78.3474042997891,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2000-05-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A roughly 30-acre residential historic district about two blocks south of downtown Smithfield, Johnston County, North Carolina, with houses built mainly between about 1870 and 1950, plus a former steam laundry and an elementary school.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the district is significant for community development and for architecture (Criteria A and C). It holds a well-preserved collection of nationally popular styles, from Italianate and Queen Anne through Colonial Revival, Craftsman bungalows and Period Revival cottages. It also records the growth of a neighborhood of local merchants, professionals and contractors.","narrative":"Brooklyn is a compact, grid-patterned neighborhood of about thirty acres just south of downtown Smithfield, with mature shade trees and sidewalks. It contains ninety-two principal buildings, most built between 1870 and 1950, along with garages and sheds. Development began along East Davis Street, where farmer Seth Woodall built an Italianate I-house around 1870, the oldest house in the district. Later houses show the progression of popular styles: Gothic Revival and Italianate in the 1880s, Queen Anne around 1900, Colonial Revival by the 1910s, Craftsman bungalows from about 1915 to 1930, and Tudor Revival and Period Cottages afterward. Local contractor Will Ragsdale built several of the bungalows. Two non-residential landmarks stand here: the former Smithfield Steam Laundry, a brick building of about 1902 with decorative brickwork, and the Craftsman-style Smithfield Elementary School of 1912-1913. The district was listed for its community development and architectural importance, with roughly three-quarters of its resources contributing.","period_of_significance":"circa 1870-1950","architect_builder":"Barbour, George; Byrd, C. S.; Sayer & Baldwin; Stephenson, W. J.; J.W. Stout & Company; Ragsdale, Will","architectural_style":"Commercial style, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Craftsman, Italianate","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Described as a densely developed, well-preserved residential district; current functions remain domestic, commercial, educational and monument/marker.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:54.715803-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/4/7210/47721004/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/00000443.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00000443/80accd2af5-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00000443/80accd2af5-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"LikeGrantTookRichmond","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brooklyn_Historic_District.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">LikeGrantTookRichmond</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brooklyn_Historic_District.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47721004","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18922581"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/johnston-county/brooklyn-historic-district-00000443/"}