West Asheville End of Car Line Historic District
Why it's listed
Along the 700 and 800 blocks of Haywood Road in West Asheville, a nearly continuous row of one- and two-story brick and concrete block storefronts marks the place where the streetcar line from downtown Asheville once turned around at Brevard Road. Streetcars ran to this point from 1911 until 1934. The district holds twenty-four contributing and two non-contributing resources, most built between 1916 and the mid-1930s. Notable buildings include the 1937 Art Deco Isis Theater, the cottage-like Pure Oil Station, the 1917 Wells Building, and a Craftsman bungalow. Early tenants included grocers, barbers, cleaners, drug stores and department stores, among them May's Market, which operated from 1928 to 1978. West Asheville was annexed by Asheville in 1917, and the following years of growth shaped Haywood Road's appearance. Together with the nearby West Asheville-Aycock School district, this stretch preserves a rare group of historic commercial buildings amid later infill.
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-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Styles | Commercial Style; Bungalow/Craftsman; Modern Movement/Art Deco |
|---|---|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Acreage | 12 |
| Boundary source | NPS cultural-resource GIS polygon |
| Full listing page | West Asheville End of Car Line 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.