Downtown Wake Forest Historic District

Downtown Wake Forest's historic core is a six-acre strip of commercial buildings running about 1,200 feet along White Street beside the railroad tracks. Growth began after a rail depot opened in 1874, and merchants, bankers and cotton brokers built mostly one- and two-story brick buildings with decorative brickwork, display windows, transoms and recessed entries. Many were rebuilt in the mid-1910s after a major fire. Original uses included general stores, groceries, a hardware store, banks, a post office, warehouses, a theater and apartments above shops. A few 1940s buildings show Colonial Revival, Art Deco or Moderne influence, notably the 1949 former Central Carolina Bank designed by George Watts Hill. The district also includes a 1930s concrete railroad underpass and a circa 1915 gas pump. It was listed for its role in commerce, covering about 1890 to 1951. Roughly 90 percent of its resources contribute to its character, and many storefronts remain in active use as shops, restaurants and offices.