Pittsboro Historic District

Pittsboro's historic core in central Chatham County follows an 1787 town plan: a public square with streets radiating from a central circle that holds the 1881 Classical Revival courthouse, topped by a three-stage cupola. The district covers about 59 acres and includes brick stores along Hillsboro Street, churches, cemeteries, an industrial complex and many houses. Most buildings date from the 1780s to 1950, and about 70 percent of the resources contribute to the district's character. Notable buildings include the 1832 St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church, built by Martin Hanks, the Mission style Blair Hotel, a 1949 Art Moderne auto dealership, a Sears kit bungalow, 1930s log houses and a 1950 Lustron steel house. The nomination presents the area as significant for community development and architecture, showing how the town grew from a back-country village into a Piedmont town and later a bedroom community for Raleigh and Chapel Hill.