Chapel Hill Historic District (Boundary Increase and Additional Documentation)

Chapel Hill's historic district takes in the oldest part of the University of North Carolina campus, the East Franklin and East Rosemary Street neighborhood that grew up beside it, and Battle Park. The university site was chosen in 1792, and Old East, completed in 1795, anchors a quadrangle that also holds Old West, South Building, Person Hall, Gerrard Hall and the Old Well. Later buildings include Playmakers Theatre, designed by A. J. Davis, and New East and New West, designed by William Percival. Frank Milburn designed several turn-of-the-century halls, and McKim, Mead, and White served as consulting architects on later work. Together the buildings illustrate Classic Revival, Jacobethan, Beaux Arts and Georgian Revival styles favored for college campuses. The nomination also stresses the setting: narrow streets, brick walkways, low stone walls, old houses with wide lawns, and large trees that give parts of the town an intimate, unhurried character.