{"nrhp_refnum":"74001364","name":"Wilmington Historic and Archeological District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Roughly bounded by Wright, S. 7th, and Harnett Sts., and N/S line 100 yds. W of North East Cape Fear River","address_restricted":false,"city":"Wilmington","county":"New Hanover County","state":"NC","lat":34.236323405000064,"lon":-77.94284728999997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-05-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Community Planning and Development","Commerce","Historic - Non-Aboriginal","Military","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A large historic and archeological district covering the downtown core of Wilmington, North Carolina, plus a stretch of the Cape Fear River and marshland across it. It preserves the 1737 grid plan and buildings from the mid-1700s to the twentieth century.","why_significant":"The district is significant as a thriving port city whose architecture reflects its commercial and social vitality, especially its long-lived local Italianate style. It keeps its original street plan, early survivors such as the Smith-Anderson House, and notable works by architects including Thomas U. Walter and Henry Bacon. The river section is included for its likely archaeological resources, including shipwrecks, barges and marine railways.","narrative":"Wilmington's historic district takes in the downtown of a North Carolina port city on the east bank of the Cape Fear River, along with a stretch of the river and marshland on the far side. The 1737 street grid, clarified in 1743, remains intact, and broad Market and Third streets carry grassy plazas first introduced in the late 1880s. The architecture reflects the wealth of commission merchants and businessmen. The Smith-Anderson House, dated about 1745, is the earliest surviving building, while the Burgwin-Wright House and St. John's Masonic Lodge represent the Georgian period. Italianate houses with vented friezes and bracketed eaves dominate, alongside the Bellamy Mansion, Second Empire, Queen Anne, Stick and Shingle-style homes. Commercial blocks include cast-iron fronts and early twentieth-century skyscrapers. St. James Episcopal Church was designed by Thomas U. Walter. The river portion is included for its archeological potential, with documented wrecks, barges and marine railways.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Thomas U. Walter; Henry Bacon; James F. Post; Rufus Bunnell; Charles McMillin; J. F. Leitner; Kenneth Murchison; G. Lord Preacher","architectural_style":"Predominantly Italianate, with Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Second Empire, Queen Anne, Stick, Shingle and Neo-Classical Revival examples","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition is marked excellent, good and fair, with a mix of occupied and unoccupied buildings. The form notes that urban renewal has razed some commercial buildings and that Market and North Third streets have lost trees, plazas and fine buildings.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:58:57.462451-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/32/7215/47721532/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/74001364.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001364/bcce9c1caa-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001364/bcce9c1caa-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jameslwoodward","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bellamy_Mansion_Wilmington_NC_front_02.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jameslwoodward</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:Bellamy_Mansion_Wilmington_NC_front_02.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"03000344","name":"Wilmington Historic District (Boundary Increase)","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/north-carolina/wilmington-historic-district-boundary-increase-03000344/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47721532","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilmington_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q22061146"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/new-hanover-county/wilmington-historic-and-archeological-district-74001364/"}