{"nrhp_refnum":"07000887","name":"Wheless, Thomas and Lois, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"106 John St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Louisburg","county":"Franklin County","state":"NC","lat":36.10036661400005,"lon":-78.29538417499998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2007-08-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story Modernist house at 106 John Street in Louisburg, Franklin County, North Carolina, built in 1954-1955 and designed by Raleigh architect G. Milton Small for Dr. Thomas and Lois Wheless.","why_significant":"The house is argued to be significant under Criterion C as an excellent, little-altered example of mid-twentieth-century Modernist residential design. It also represents the work of G. Milton Small, a leading advocate of Miesian design in Raleigh. When built, it was unlike any other house in traditional Louisburg and remains a local architectural landmark of Modernism.","narrative":"Built in 1954-1955 on a wooded one-acre lot in Louisburg, this one-story house combines glass, wood, and stone in a Modernist design influenced by Mies van der Rohe. Dr. Thomas and Lois Wheless hired Raleigh architect G. Milton Small to design it. Hidden steel pipes carry the structure, which allows a south wall made almost entirely of glass, while the street-facing west side is a windowless stone façade that offers privacy. A low gable roof with wide overhangs appears to float above the walls, and a carport with bright blue steel poles stands at the west end of the north side. Inside, birch paneling, cork and slate floors, and extensive built-in storage define the plan, including a sewing room designed for Lois Wheless. In a town of historic and traditional architecture, the house was an uncommon choice. It is listed for its local architectural importance and as a strong example of Small's work. The period of significance is 1955, the year of completion.","period_of_significance":"1955","architect_builder":"Small, G. Milton -- Architect","architectural_style":"Modernist, of Miesian design influence","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Described as in excellent condition and almost completely unaltered, with only minor changes such as replaced bathroom sinks, kitchen appliances, and the privacy fence.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:54.425186-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/28/7203/47720328/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/07000887.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/07000887/964cadb023-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/07000887/964cadb023-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jerrye &amp; Roy Klotz, MD","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:THOMAS_AND_LOIS_WHELESS_HOUSE,_FRANKLIN_COUNTY,_NC.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jerrye &amp;amp; Roy Klotz, MD</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:THOMAS_AND_LOIS_WHELESS_HOUSE,_FRANKLIN_COUNTY,_NC.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"87000041","name":"Louisburg Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/north-carolina/louisburg-historic-district-87000041/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47720328","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_and_Lois_Wheless_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q24436222"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/franklin-county/wheless-thomas-and-lois-house-07000887/"}