Hill-Grainger Historic District

Three blocks north of downtown Kinston, this 81-acre neighborhood of tree-lined streets contains 145 primary buildings, 140 of them houses, built mostly between 1900 and 1941. North Queen Street forms its spine, lined with substantial residences in the Queen Anne, Neo-Classical Revival, Colonial Revival and Tudor Revival styles. The higher northern section, once called "The Hill," grew from a few large estates. Sarahurst, a brick Neo-Classical Revival house designed by New Bern architect H. W. Simpson, was moved in 1914 when Queen Street was extended. The former Grainger High School, built in 1924 to designs by Leslie Boney, anchors the area. The southern section holds more modest frame dwellings and many Craftsman Bungalows, including two mail-order Aladdin Homes. Development slowed during the Depression and was nearly complete by 1941. Of 207 resources, most contribute to the district's character, and later infill is limited. The district is listed as an intact example of Kinston's early twentieth-century residential growth.