{"nrhp_refnum":"72000969","name":"Loretz House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"NW of Lincolnton off SR 1204","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lincolnton","county":"Lincoln County","state":"NC","lat":35.51346376500004,"lon":-81.26453566099997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1972-03-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"The Andrew Loretz House is a two-story brick dwelling in the German architectural tradition, located on SR 1204 south of Lincolnton, Lincoln County, North Carolina. It was built in 1793 by Andrew Loretz, a Swiss-born Reformed Church preacher.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as a rare North Carolina example of a German-tradition house with patterned brickwork, a building type brought from the Delaware River region. Its Georgian interior details show how Georgian features persisted in western North Carolina into the Federal era. The decorative brickwork and the blend of varied influences make it one of the state's more interesting examples.","narrative":"Built in 1793, this two-story brick house south of Lincolnton was constructed by Andrew Loretz, a Swiss-born preacher of the Reformed Church who arrived in America in 1784. The five-bay house is laid in Flemish bond with glazed headers. On the east gable, the headers spell out the initials \"A. L.\" and the date, with a heart, an X and chevrons below, while the west gable carries a vertical lozenge pattern ending in a bull's-eye vent. The interior follows a Quaker plan, with paneled mantel walls, built-in cupboards and a later Federal mantel. A brick smokehouse and several log cabins stand nearby. The house is notable as a rare North Carolina example of German-tradition building with patterned brickwork, a type carried from the Delaware River region. Its Georgian details also show how that style lingered in western North Carolina during the Federal era. The house stayed in the Loretz family's line until 1857 and has been owned by the Logan family since 1926.","period_of_significance":"18th Century (specific date 1793)","architect_builder":"Andrew Loretz (builder, identified by the initials \"A.L.\" in the brickwork)","architectural_style":"German architectural tradition with Georgian and Federal elements","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed in excellent condition; occupied as a private residence, with an unaltered original site.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:58:57.759366-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/78/7210/47721078/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/72000969.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47721078","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loretz_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q23405680"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/lincoln-county/loretz-house-72000969/"}