West Davis Street-Fountain Place Historic District
Why it's listed
West Davis Street and West Front Street in Burlington, North Carolina, form a tree-lined neighborhood of about 160 principal buildings, mostly houses built between the late 1800s and the 1930s for the city's growing middle class. Broad avenues shaded by tall hardwoods carry large Queen Anne and Colonial Revival homes on spacious lots, such as the 1894 Dr. T. W. Patterson House and the 1902 Dr. Thomas S. Faucette House. Later Georgian Revival, Tudor Revival and Mediterranean-style houses appear toward the west end, while Foursquares and bungalows fill in throughout. Fountain Place, a 1920s subdivision, is centered on a landscaped fountain and marked by stone pillars and low stone walls at its entrance. Churches occupy large tracts at the east end. The district was listed because it is the best surviving concentration of Burlington's residential architecture from this period, showing how styles and lot patterns changed as the neighborhood spread westward.
Significance in brief: The district holds the most significant collection of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century residential architecture in Burlington. It shows the range of house types and styles built for the city's growing middle class, from vernacular cottages and Queen Anne houses to Colonial, Georgian and Tudor Revival houses, Foursquares and bungalows. It also shows the neighborhood's westward growth, including the 1920s Fountain Place development.
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) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 84000359, listed November 5, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly Bounded by Front, W. Webb, S. Fisher, E. Willowbrook, W. Davis Sts., and Fountain Pl., Burlington |
|---|---|
| County | Alamance County |
| Listed | November 5, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84000359 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne, Neoclassical Revival, Colonial/Georgian Revival, Tudor Revival, Foursquare, bungalow and Period Houses |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition marked excellent and good, with both altered and unaltered elements; the district is occupied. Two adjoining lots in the 700 block of West Davis Street have been empty for many years. |
| Acreage | 76 |
| Coordinates | 36.09506, -79.44434 (NPS GIS) |
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.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 84000359.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q17560781
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.