Loray Mill Historic District (Boundary Increase)

Just west of downtown Gastonia, this 14.35-acre section of the Loray Mill village lies north of West Franklin Boulevard. It includes seventy-one houses, twelve outbuildings, a circa 1930 brick commercial building and the 1952 Gothic Revival Loray Baptist Church, designed by Charlotte architect Marvin W. Helms. Streets form a grid, and the modest one- and one-and-one-half-story frame houses sit close to the street. Most are three house types built in two campaigns, 1900-1901 and the early 1920s, with a few later forms from around 1940. The area was excluded when the main district was listed in 2001 because commercial development along the boulevard had removed many mill buildings. After the city and residents asked for a new review in 2004, it was found to retain enough of the original village, fully built out by 1930, to be added. About 84 percent of its resources contribute to the district.