{"nrhp_refnum":"08000415","name":"Finley, Thomas B., House","other_names":["The Oaks"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1014 E St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"North Wilkesboro","county":"Wilkes County","state":"NC","lat":36.161532298000054,"lon":-81.15078632199999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2008-05-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story frame Queen Anne-style house built in 1893 at 1014 E Street in North Wilkesboro, Wilkes County, North Carolina, with an original ice house and servants' house on the lot.","why_significant":"The house was built for Thomas B. Finley, a lawyer and civic leader who helped bring the railroad to Wilkes County and whose family land became the town of North Wilkesboro. It is also an ornate, well-preserved example of Queen Anne architecture, designed by a young woman architect, Norma Bonniwell of Hickory. Its original interior features remain largely intact.","narrative":"Built in 1893 at the corner of E and Eleventh streets, this large Queen Anne house overlooks downtown North Wilkesboro and the Brushy Mountains beyond. It has two full stories, an attic and basement, German siding, a wraparound porch with an elaborate two-layer balustrade, a three-story corner tower, fish-scale shingled gables and stained-glass windows. Inside, a center-hall plan holds a dramatic stair with a carved newel, seven original mantels, sawnwork hall arches and extensive original woodwork. The house was built for Thomas B. Finley, a lawyer and later superior court judge who worked to bring a rail line to Wilkes County. The railroad ended north of the Yadkin River, on land the Finley family owned, and that land became the town of North Wilkesboro. Finley hired young Hickory architect Norma Bonniwell to design a fashionable house reflecting his standing. An ice house and servants' house remain on the lot, and a 2001 garage was added.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Norma Bonniwell (architect)","architectural_style":"Queen Anne","criteria":[],"status_note":"Still used as a single dwelling, with a 2001 garage, breezeway and laundry addition and other recent alterations.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:53.578992-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/37/7228/47722837/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/08000415.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08000415/bbf90d3f8b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08000415/bbf90d3f8b-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thomas_B._Finley_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thomas_B._Finley_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47722837","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_B._Finley_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20708471"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/wilkes-county/finley-thomas-b-house-08000415/"}