{"nrhp_refnum":"80002867","name":"Academy Hill Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Western Ave., Bell, Mulberry, Wise and Armfield Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Statesville","county":"Iredell County","state":"NC","lat":35.777400615500056,"lon":-80.88987437044322,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-11-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A mixed-use historic district of 45 educational, industrial and residential properties southwest of downtown Statesville, North Carolina, along South Mulberry Street and adjoining cross streets. Most buildings date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.","why_significant":"The district contains two historically important schools, the Statesville Male Academy (1874) and the Statesville Graded School (1892), tied to the development of local education. Its industrial core, including the J. C. Steele & Sons Brick Machinery Plant, reflects Statesville's industrial growth. It is also associated with educator J. H. Hill and industrialist J. C. Steele, and holds notable houses such as the Second Empire J. C. Steele House.","narrative":"Academy Hill is a small neighborhood southwest of downtown Statesville where schools, factories and houses developed side by side. It takes its name from the Statesville Male Academy, built in 1874 and later converted to a residence. Across Mulberry Street, the Statesville Graded School of 1892 was the first building constructed for the city's public school system and remains in use as the Mulberry Street School. At the south end are the J. C. Steele & Sons Brick Machinery Plant, the O. W. Slane Glass Company and the former Ash Tobacco Factory. Between them are frame and brick houses, mostly built from 1885 to 1930, in Queen Anne, Classical Revival, Bungalow and other modest styles. The J. C. Steele House is the only domestic Second Empire example in Iredell County. The district was recognized for its links to local education, industry, and figures such as educator J. H. Hill and brickmaker J. C. Steele.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Charles H. Lester (architect, William E. Webb House); V. B. Moore (builder of several Bell Street houses); D. A. Morrison and W. F. Munday (builders of Statesville Graded School); W. E. Poovey (possible builder, C. M. Steele House)","architectural_style":"Late Victorian and Queen Anne, with Second Empire, Colonial Revival, Classical Revival, Elizabethan Revival and Bungalow influences","criteria":["A","B"],"status_note":"The Mulberry Street School is still in use, the Steele and Slane industries are still active, and most houses are occupied as dwellings. A few buildings show some neglect, and one vacant lot is noted.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:58:57.50028-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/71/7180/47718071/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/80002867.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80002867/7c07d9e0a1-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80002867/7c07d9e0a1-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"JERRYE &amp; ROY KLOTZ, M.D.","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ACADEMY_HILL_HISTORIC_DISTRICT,_STATESVILLE,_IREDELL_COUNTY,_NC.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">JERRYE &amp;amp; ROY KLOTZ, M.D.</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ACADEMY_HILL_HISTORIC_DISTRICT,_STATESVILLE,_IREDELL_COUNTY,_NC.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47718071","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Hill_Historic_District_(Statesville,_North_Carolina)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19460083"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/iredell-county/academy-hill-historic-district-80002867/"}