{"nrhp_refnum":"82003525","name":"Finley, Thomas B., Law Office","other_names":["J.F. Jordan Law Office"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Broad and North Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Wilkesboro","county":"Wilkes County","state":"NC","lat":36.14909006400006,"lon":-81.15098467399997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-08-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Law","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small one-story frame law office, probably built in the early 1880s, at the southeast corner of Broad and North Streets in Wilkesboro, Wilkes County, North Carolina, across from Courthouse Square.","why_significant":"For about a century the office was used by a succession of prominent local lawyers who were also active in business, politics, education and religion. It is a well-preserved late 19th century Carpenter Gothic-influenced law office, one of only two such offices remaining in Wilkesboro.","narrative":"Across the street from the Wilkes County courthouse square in Wilkesboro, a tiny frame law office has served attorneys for roughly a century. Probably built in the early 1880s, possibly by lawyer Isaac Wellborn, it is one room wide and two deep, with weatherboard siding, a standing seam metal gable roof, a central chimney and a small front porch. Sawnwork bargeboards with teardrop shapes and finials on both gables give it a Carpenter Gothic appearance. Inside, flush board walls and a late Greek Revival mantel survive. The building is tied to Thomas B. Finley, who began practicing in Wilkesboro in 1885, helped found banks and businesses, and later became a Superior Court judge. Herbert L. Greene, Frank B. Hendren and J. Floyd Jordan also worked there, each active in civic life. It was listed as a well-preserved example of a 19th century law office and for its link to the local legal profession.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899, 1900-","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Carpenter Gothic","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Listed in excellent condition; a lawyer was still practicing in the office in 1980.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:58:57.297558-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/7/7187/47718707/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/82003525.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82003525/4621ee821f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82003525/4621ee821f-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thomas_B._Finley_Law_Office.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thomas_B._Finley_Law_Office.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"09000290","name":"Downtown Wilkesboro Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/north-carolina/downtown-wilkesboro-historic-district-09000290/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47718707","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_B._Finley_Law_Office","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20708478"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/wilkes-county/finley-thomas-b-law-office-82003525/"}