{"nrhp_refnum":"82003523","name":"Federal Building","other_names":["Wilkes County Board of Education Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"201 W. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Wilkesboro","county":"Wilkes County","state":"NC","lat":36.14721813400007,"lon":-81.35385303099997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-08-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A former federal building in Wilkesboro, Wilkes County, North Carolina, erected in 1915 under the direction of Acting Supervising Architect James A. Wetmore. It occupies a corner lot one block from the Wilkes County Courthouse in the town center.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is an outstanding and rare example of Federal Revival style architecture in this part of North Carolina. Its Palladian five-part composition, terra cotta detailing and classically detailed interior, including the former courtroom, are cited as the basis for its distinction. It is also significant as a long-serving U.S. Courthouse and Post Office.","narrative":"Built in 1915 in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, this two-story brick building was designed under Acting Supervising Architect James A. Wetmore in the Federal Revival style. Its five-part composition, inspired by Palladio, centers on a three-bay section with a pilastered facade, full classical entablature and low pediment, which suggests a small Roman temple. The main entrances have fluted engaged columns and semicircular fanlights, and terra cotta cornices and ironwork balustrades add detail. Inside, a large central room that once served as a courtroom retains an entablature with triglyphs and metopes, and the hallways have marbled wainscot and barrel vaults. The building housed the U.S. Courthouse and Post Office for more than fifty years, until a new federal building opened in 1969. It is valued for the quality of its classical detailing and as a rare example of the style in the region. It was erected on the former front yard of the Dr. William Columbus Green House.","period_of_significance":"1915","architect_builder":"James A. Wetmore, Acting Supervising Architect","architectural_style":"Federal Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Now serves as offices of the Wilkes County Board of Education.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:41.924669-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/95/7186/47718695/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/82003523.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82003523/1a5ba5ad8c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82003523/1a5ba5ad8c-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Ceh2624","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WilkesboroFedBldg1.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Ceh2624</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:WilkesboroFedBldg1.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47718695","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Building_(Wilkesboro,_North_Carolina)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20709194"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/wilkes-county/federal-building-82003523/"}