{"nrhp_refnum":"73001312","name":"Propst House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Shuford Memorial Garden","address_restricted":false,"city":"Hickory","county":"Catawba County","state":"NC","lat":35.73790665300004,"lon":-81.37898701599994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-04-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A story-and-a-half Second Empire frame cottage with a mansard roof and tower, built shortly after 1881 by carpenter J. Summie Propst in Hickory, Catawba County, North Carolina. It was moved in 1968 to city-owned Shuford Memorial Garden.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it a handsome Second Empire cottage with elaborate wooden ornament thought to be the work of its first owner, a carpenter. It is described as one of the most architecturally interesting buildings in Hickory and apparently the only example of its style. Its purchase and planned restoration by the Hickory Landmarks Society was also a locally important preservation effort.","narrative":"This story-and-a-half frame cottage in Hickory, North Carolina, is a Second Empire house topped by a concave mansard roof covered in patterned shingles and a two-and-a-half-story square tower. Carpenter and cabinetmaker J. Summie Propst built it shortly after buying the lot in October 1881. A porch with paired chamfered posts and a scroll-sawn balustrade wraps the front, and gable dormers carry sawn ornament. Inside, elaborate Victorian mantels with carved fans, incised patterns and spindlework are thought to have been embellished by Propst himself. The nomination describes it as one of Hickory's most architecturally interesting buildings and apparently the only example of its style in town. Propst was also active in Lutheran church life and served on the Board of Aldermen. After passing to the Deal family, the deteriorating house was bought in 1968 by the Hickory Landmarks Society, which moved it to city-owned Shuford Memorial Garden and began restoration.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (specific date 1881)","architect_builder":"J. Summie Propst, contractor-carpenter (builder)","architectural_style":"Second Empire","criteria":[],"status_note":"Excellent condition; altered and moved; under restoration, directed by architect Philippe Gilissen and the Hickory Landmarks Society.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:58:56.961312-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/93/7194/47719493/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/73001312.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001312/f710474b44-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001312/f710474b44-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Tylerg","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Propst_House,_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:Propst_House,_Hickory_North_Carolina.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47719493","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propst_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18157028"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/catawba-county/propst-house-73001312/"}