Longview Gardens Historic District (Additional Documentation)

Longview Gardens is a large residential subdivision east of downtown Raleigh, laid out on both sides of New Bern Avenue, whose wide median is planted with crepe myrtles. The first phase followed the Gillette-Wooten plan of 1938, revised in 1940. Later phases added the Raleigh Country Club and its Donald Ross-designed eighteen-hole golf course in 1948-1949 and the Golf Course Drive section in 1959. Curving streets, generous lots of up to several acres, small parks, Sycamore Circle and the absence of sidewalks give the area a distinct character. Houses range from small Colonial and Tudor Revival homes of the late 1930s and 1940s to the Ranches and Split Levels that dominated from the late 1940s to 1965. Two churches and the golf course add to the mix. Of 294 resources, 194 contribute to the district's character. The layout, open spaces and most houses remain largely unchanged, with window replacements and out-of-scale porch additions being the most common alterations.