{"nrhp_refnum":"05001033","name":"Ryder Hall","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"305 Seminary St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Saluda","county":"Polk County","state":"NC","lat":35.23725628300008,"lon":-82.34302649999995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-09-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Education"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Ryder Hall is a two and one-half story Colonial Revival frame building at 305 Seminary Street in Saluda, Polk County, North Carolina. It was built in 1909 as a girls' dormitory for Saluda Seminary.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is a fully developed example of Colonial Revival style inside and out (Criterion C). It is also the last remaining structure built for Saluda Seminary, tied to the development of education in Polk County (Criterion A). It is also one of the most intact survivors among the fifteen schools founded by Emily C. Prudden in western North Carolina.","narrative":"Ryder Hall is a two and one-half story Colonial Revival building in Saluda, in far western Polk County, North Carolina. Local builder Luther Thompson completed it in 1909 as a girls' dormitory for Saluda Seminary. The weatherboarded frame building sits on a brick foundation, with a gambrel roof, an H-shaped plan, shed dormers, and carved rafter ends. Inside, a large dining hall with carved wood posts, beams, and layered moldings survives, as do corridors lined with bedrooms and a third-floor study hall that also hosted dances. The seminary was founded in 1891 by Emily C. Prudden with backing from the American Missionary Association, and it operated until 1922, when the county school system took it over. Ryder Hall is the last building constructed for the school. After 1928 it served as a hotel, boarding house, and inn, and it is now a single-family home. It was listed for its architecture and its link to local education.","period_of_significance":"1909-1922","architect_builder":"Thompson, William Luther - builder","architectural_style":"Colonial Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Used as a single-family residence after restoration and renovation by the current owners; earlier used as an inn and boarding house from 1928 through the late twentieth century.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:54.374773-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/50/7218/47721850/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/05001033.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001033/ecd704ad8d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001033/ecd704ad8d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Bigskybill","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ryder_Hall.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Bigskybill</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:Ryder_Hall.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47721850","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryder_Hall","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20745493"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/polk-county/ryder-hall-05001033/"}