{"nrhp_refnum":"79001716","name":"Wafco Mills","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"801 McGee St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Greensboro","county":"Guilford County","state":"NC","lat":36.06887909000005,"lon":-79.79868989599998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-05-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"An industrial flour mill complex at 801 McGee Street in Greensboro, North Carolina, made up of three adjoining frame and brick buildings dating from 1893, 1907 and 1912, with offices (1904) and an engine room on the west side.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the mill is a well-preserved example of late nineteenth and early twentieth century frame and brick industrial construction, with most of its milling machinery still in place. It was the first roller mill in Greensboro and is tied to the Watson family, who introduced the roller process to the city. It is also noted as a work of North, Watson, and Company, who were mill builders.","narrative":"Wafco Mills is an industrial complex at 801 McGee Street in Greensboro, set in a quiet residential area beside a railroad track and a small creek. It consists of three adjoining buildings: a four-story frame mill from 1893, a brick addition from 1907 and a larger brick building from 1912, plus a 1904 office wing and a brick engine room. Inside, much of the original flour-making machinery, grain bins and elevators remains in place. The mill was established by North, Watson, and Company, a firm that built textile mills, and it became the first roller mill in Greensboro. The Watson family ran it for almost eighty years, later adding feed production and adopting the Wafco name in 1943. Output tripled by 1917 after expansion. The mill closed in 1972, and the city bought it in 1978. It was recognized as a well-preserved example of early industrial construction and local milling history, and for its ties to the Watson family.","period_of_significance":"1893, 1907, 1912 (specific dates given)","architect_builder":"North, Watson, and Company","architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Mill closed in 1972; sold to the City of Greensboro in 1978 and listed as vacant, with its future uncertain pending proposals for adaptive reuse, mainly housing.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:58:56.880059-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/80/7205/47720580/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/79001716.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79001716/84fd281460-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79001716/84fd281460-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Rhpotter","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wafco_Mills_(Greensboro,_North_Carolina)_2.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Rhpotter</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:Wafco_Mills_(Greensboro,_North_Carolina)_2.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"93001191","name":"College Hill Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/north-carolina/college-hill-historic-district-93001191/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47720580","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wafco_Mills","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21016312"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/guilford-county/wafco-mills-79001716/"}