{"nrhp_refnum":"09001178","name":"Lincolnton Recreation Department Youth Center","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"119 E. Pine St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lincolnton","county":"Lincoln County","state":"NC","lat":35.473310507000065,"lon":-81.25684219399994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2009-12-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A single-story wood-frame Bungalow/Craftsman-style building at 119 East Pine Street in downtown Lincolnton, North Carolina, built ca. 1921 as a temporary four-classroom school and later converted to a municipal youth center.","why_significant":"It is argued to be significant as the first public recreation facility in Lincoln County, established by the City of Lincolnton in 1947. A professionally trained woman director, Betty Gabriel, led the new program. The building kept its integrity from 1947 to 1959, when it hosted recreational, cultural and social activities for youth and adults.","narrative":"This single-story wood-frame building at 119 East Pine Street in downtown Lincolnton began as a temporary four-classroom school built by Lincoln County around 1921 to relieve overcrowding at the graded school. The school closed in 1927, and the building then served as the Woman's Club House, hosting receptions, meetings and dances. In 1947 the City of Lincolnton, under Mayor \"Mack\" Broome, renovated it as home to the city and county's first public recreation program. Betty Gabriel, a college-trained recreation director, was hired to lead the program at a time when few women held such posts in North Carolina. The city removed interior partitions, added a rear room for the Woman's Club and excavated a basement for a bowling alley and game room. The building has a truncated hipped roof, weatherboard siding and a brick foundation. The Youth Center operated until 1989, but its significance is tied to 1947 to 1959. It is now vacant.","period_of_significance":"1947-1959","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Late 19th and Early 20th Century Movements: Bungalow/Craftsman","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Current function is listed as vacant/not in use; the center operated until 1989.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:54.629251-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/0/7211/47721100/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/09001178.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09001178/4e54b340b8-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09001178/4e54b340b8-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Upstateherd","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lincolnton_Recreation_Department_Youth_Center.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Upstateherd</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:Lincolnton_Recreation_Department_Youth_Center.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"05001419","name":"Lincolnton Commercial Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/north-carolina/lincolnton-commercial-historic-district-05001419/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47721100","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincolnton_Recreation_Department_Youth_Center","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19986813"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/lincoln-county/lincolnton-recreation-department-youth-center-09001178/"}