Downtown Elkin Historic District

Downtown Elkin Historic District is the commercial heart of a small town at the meeting of the Yadkin River and Elkin Creek in Surry County, North Carolina. It contains 74 resources, mostly brick commercial buildings, along with five houses, the post office, a railroad line and the 1931 Hugh G. Chatham Bridge. Most date from about 1890 to 1950. The arrival of the railroad in 1890 shifted business eastward from Front Street toward the intersection of Main and Bridge streets, and brick construction became standard after a fire in 1898. Notable buildings include the Harris Building, whose facade is covered in decorative pressed metal, a rare survival in the region. Streamlined theaters from the late 1930s and 1940s, two 1923 Craftsman bungalows and the ca. 1855 Gwyn-Foard House, a Greek Revival dwelling with an unusual two-tier porch, add variety. Although many storefronts have been altered, the district still conveys its historic appearance.