{"nrhp_refnum":"08000378","name":"Harris Arcade","other_names":["Arcade Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"221-229 1st Ave. NW.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Hickory","county":"Catawba County","state":"NC","lat":35.73323355200006,"lon":-81.34072526099999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2008-05-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-level brick commercial and office building at 221-229 First Avenue NW in Hickory, Catawba County, North Carolina, built in the second half of 1938 for the Harris brothers and designed by local architects Mr. and Mrs. Q. E. Herman.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as a well-preserved interwar rental arcade, one of only five known surviving buildings built as arcades in North Carolina. Its second story is described as an exceptionally intact, rarely surviving office space, left largely untouched after tenants departed around 1965. The ground-floor pool room has operated on the same premises since about 1940.","narrative":"Harris Arcade is a brick and stone commercial building at 221-229 First Avenue NW in Hickory, completed in late 1938 for the Harris brothers. Local architects Mr. and Mrs. Q. E. Herman drew the plans. A central passage, entered through Tudor-arched openings on the front and rear, runs the full depth of the lot between First Avenue and Trade Alley. It is lined with shops on the ground level and two-room office suites upstairs, lit by skylights. Early tenants included a physician, the architects themselves, insurance agents, federal agencies and the Arcade Pool Room, which has operated in the same space since about 1940. Few buildings of this type survive in North Carolina; only five are known. The upper floor is especially rare because the offices emptied around 1965 and the stair was closed, preserving original doors, hardware, terrazzo, lavatory fittings and Art Deco light globes. A rehabilitation project was underway, including a new elevator and restoration of the open stairwell.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Mr. & Mrs. Q. E. Herman, local architects (per 1938 newspaper account)","architectural_style":"Commercial Style with Tudor Revival-style arched arcade openings","criteria":[],"status_note":"Rehabilitation was ongoing at the time of nomination; the second story has been vacant since about 1965, while the street-level pool room and some shops remain in use.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:54.462065-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/88/7194/47719488/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/08000378.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08000378/0d4c44a7af-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08000378/0d4c44a7af-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Tylerg","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harris_Arcade,_Hickory_North_Carolina.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Tylerg</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:Harris_Arcade,_Hickory_North_Carolina.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"86003357","name":"Claremont High School Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/north-carolina/claremont-high-school-historic-district-86003357/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47719488","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harris_Arcade_(Hickory,_North_Carolina)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18151406"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/catawba-county/harris-arcade-08000378/"}