Wilmington Historic and Archeological District

Wilmington's historic district takes in the downtown of a North Carolina port city on the east bank of the Cape Fear River, along with a stretch of the river and marshland on the far side. The 1737 street grid, clarified in 1743, remains intact, and broad Market and Third streets carry grassy plazas first introduced in the late 1880s. The architecture reflects the wealth of commission merchants and businessmen. The Smith-Anderson House, dated about 1745, is the earliest surviving building, while the Burgwin-Wright House and St. John's Masonic Lodge represent the Georgian period. Italianate houses with vented friezes and bracketed eaves dominate, alongside the Bellamy Mansion, Second Empire, Queen Anne, Stick and Shingle-style homes. Commercial blocks include cast-iron fronts and early twentieth-century skyscrapers. St. James Episcopal Church was designed by Thomas U. Walter. The river portion is included for its archeological potential, with documented wrecks, barges and marine railways.