Monroe Residential Historic District

Monroe's residential historic district covers roughly 181 acres east, south and west of the downtown core in Union County, North Carolina. Most of the city's housing from 1870 to 1940 lies within its boundaries, from small cottages to large, imposing dwellings. Wood is the dominant material, with many brick-veneer bungalows and Colonial Revival houses from the 1920s and 1930s. Styles include Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne, Tudor, Spanish Mission, Colonial Revival and Craftsman, with Classical Revival the most prominent, including several large Neo-Classical houses with colossal porticos built between 1900 and 1915. The district also holds two churches, a senior citizens center, some houses converted to commercial use, and the oldest sections of Monroe Cemetery, where burials date from the 1850s. Streets follow a grid laid over rolling Piedmont hills and are lined with mature trees. Of 471 resources, 381 contribute to the district's character, and most houses are still used as homes.