{"nrhp_refnum":"83001888","name":"Tomlinson Chair Manufacturing Company Complex","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"305 W. High St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"High Point","county":"Guilford County","state":"NC","lat":35.955220792000034,"lon":-80.00887981599999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-03-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Communications"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A group of industrial buildings at 305 West High Street in High Point, Guilford County, North Carolina, built between 1902 and 1946 for the Tomlinson Chair Manufacturing Company, a furniture maker founded in 1900.","why_significant":"The complex shows how North Carolina furniture factories grew in stages during the early twentieth century, through added wings and remodeled buildings. It is tied to High Point's rise as the center of the state's furniture industry. It is also linked to brothers S.H. and C.F. Tomlinson, who helped lead that industry and local civic projects.","narrative":"This four-acre complex on West High Street in High Point grew from a furniture company founded in 1900 by Sidney Halstead Tomlinson. The oldest surviving buildings, put up between 1902 and 1911, are five-story brick Italianate factory blocks with segmental window arches, corbeled parapet walls and many original wooden sash windows. A 1920s addition, a 1924-27 showroom and office building with a concrete entrance and Art Deco lobby later altered, and a 1946 drying kiln were added over time. A smokestack, water tower and cyclone vents remain. The complex was listed because it illustrates how North Carolina furniture plants expanded in a patchwork of additions. It also reflects High Point's role as the state's furniture center. S.H. Tomlinson and his brother C.F. Tomlinson built a leading firm known for matched dining-room suites and gallery-style showrooms, and they supported civic projects in the city. By 1945 the company had six buildings with over 650,000 square feet.","period_of_significance":"1900-1950","architect_builder":"Builder/architect listed as unknown; J.J. Siriene of Greenville, S.C. is also named on the form, apparently for the 1924-27 structure.","architectural_style":"Italianate industrial buildings (1902-1911), with a 1924-27 building with faintly classical details","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Condition rated excellent but altered. The oldest buildings still house furniture manufacturing, while the 1924-27 building has been renovated as showrooms and a restaurant.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:58:56.982966-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/54/7205/47720554/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/83001888.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83001888/741a04ae93-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83001888/741a04ae93-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tomlinson_Chair_Manufacturing_Complex.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tomlinson_Chair_Manufacturing_Complex.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47720554","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Market_Square_(High_Point,_North_Carolina)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14708030"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/guilford-county/tomlinson-chair-manufacturing-company-complex-83001888/"}