North Third Avenue Historic District
The National Park Service has not published a boundary polygon for this district; the map shows the listed properties inside it and the district's reference point.
Why it's listed
Siler City's North Third Avenue Historic District lies several blocks northeast of the town's central business district and contains houses built from about 1890 to 1930, along with a 1928-1930 church. The neighborhood developed in the early twentieth century as a residential area for bankers, physicians, politicians and businessmen, and it grew gradually rather than under a single plan. Its oldest building is the frame triple-A form William Wren House of about 1890. The 1916 Matthews-Wren House, designed for pharmacist Dr. George Edgar Matthews and built by contractor John W. Turner, was given a two-story Neo-classical portico with Ionic columns in about 1918. Several one-story Craftsman bungalows of the 1920s and a boxy foursquare house also stand in the district. The First Baptist Church, designed by Greensboro architect Harry Barton, has a basilica plan, a rose window and a Romanesque and Moorish design that is regarded as one of the most ambitious churches in Chatham County.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | C. 1890-c. 1930 |
|---|---|
| Styles | Classical Revival; Romanesque; Bungalow/Craftsman |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development |
| Acreage | 4.1 |
| Boundary source | not published |
| Full listing page | North Third Avenue Historic District (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.