{"nrhp_refnum":"06000228","name":"Loray Mill Historic District (Boundary Increase)","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Roughly bounded by S. Vance St., RR right-of-way, S. Hill St. and W. Franklin Blvd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Gastonia","county":"Gaston County","state":"NC","lat":35.26351154300005,"lon":-81.19650449653861,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2006-04-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Social History","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A boundary expansion of a mill village historic district just west of downtown Gastonia, North Carolina, covering about 14.35 acres north of West Franklin Boulevard. It holds mill houses built from 1901, a 1952 Gothic Revival church and a circa 1930 commercial building.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that this northern section of the Loray Mill village was part of the original 1901 mill village design and was fully built out by 1930. It retains a substantially intact collection of resources from 1901 to 1956 that reflect industry, social history and architecture. The commercial building at the northwest corner physically links it to the originally listed district.","narrative":"Just west of downtown Gastonia, this 14.35-acre section of the Loray Mill village lies north of West Franklin Boulevard. It includes seventy-one houses, twelve outbuildings, a circa 1930 brick commercial building and the 1952 Gothic Revival Loray Baptist Church, designed by Charlotte architect Marvin W. Helms. Streets form a grid, and the modest one- and one-and-one-half-story frame houses sit close to the street. Most are three house types built in two campaigns, 1900-1901 and the early 1920s, with a few later forms from around 1940. The area was excluded when the main district was listed in 2001 because commercial development along the boulevard had removed many mill buildings. After the city and residents asked for a new review in 2004, it was found to retain enough of the original village, fully built out by 1930, to be added. About 84 percent of its resources contribute to the district.","period_of_significance":"1901-1956","architect_builder":"Marvin W. Helms, Architect (Loray Baptist Church)","architectural_style":"Gothic Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Primarily residential, with single- and multi-family housing, a church and a commercial building still in use. Most mill houses have been altered since the 1940s but keep their original form. One vacant lot is noted.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:54.162689-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/17/7204/47720417/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/06000228.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47720417","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":null},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/gaston-county/loray-mill-historic-district-boundary-increase-06000228/"}