{"nrhp_refnum":"85000877","name":"Greensboro Historical Museum","other_names":["First Presbyterian Church,Smith Memorial Building,and First"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"130 Summit Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Greensboro","county":"Guilford County","state":"NC","lat":36.07562240200008,"lon":-79.78792626099994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-04-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Richardsonian Romanesque complex at 130 Summit Avenue in Greensboro, North Carolina, made up of the former First Presbyterian Church (1892), the Smith Memorial Building (1903), a connecting 1938 addition, and the church cemetery behind them. It now serves as the city's historical museum.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the complex reflects Greensboro's rapid growth from a small town into a regional center of trade and transportation between about 1890 and 1910. It is one of only three remaining intact Richardsonian Romanesque buildings in the city. The cemetery, in use since 1812, is the main surviving remnant of early Greensboro settlement and has never been relocated.","narrative":"Three connected parts make up this brick and granite complex at 130 Summit Avenue in Greensboro: a church built in 1892, a Sunday school hall added in 1903 (the Smith Memorial Building), and a 1938 addition that joins them. Its towers, round arches and contrasting red brick and granite are typical of the Richardsonian Romanesque style, and it is one of only three intact examples left in the city. The Presbyterian congregation left the building in 1929, and it sat neglected until 1937, when a member of the Smith family and her daughters bought it and gave it to the city as a civic center. The 1938 renovation, designed by William C. Holleyman Jr., turned it into a library and cultural center. Behind it lies the church cemetery, in use since 1812, the principal surviving remnant of early Greensboro settlement. The property reflects the town's growth from a small community into a commercial center.","period_of_significance":"1812-1928","architect_builder":"1892: Porter & Godwin, Goldsboro, N.C. (builder); L. B. Valk & Son, Brooklyn, N.Y. (architect). 1903: W.C. Bain, Greensboro (builder); C. C. Hook, Charlotte (architect). 1938: Charles W. Angle, Greensboro (builder); William C. Holleyman, Greensboro (architect).","architectural_style":"Richardsonian Romanesque (Romanesque Revival)","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"In use as a museum owned by the City of Greensboro; described as in good repair with a regular maintenance schedule.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:49.667244-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/78/7205/47720578/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/85000877.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000877/81680913c6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000877/81680913c6-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Rhpotter","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Former_Presbyterian_Church,_Former_Confederate_Hospital,_Greensboro_Historical_Museum.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:Former_Presbyterian_Church,_Former_Confederate_Hospital,_Greensboro_Historical_Museum.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47720578","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greensboro_History_Museum","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5604452"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/guilford-county/greensboro-historical-museum-85000877/"}