Asheville Transfer and Storage Company Building
Why it's listed
Built in 1929 at 192-194 Coxe Avenue in Asheville, this three-story reinforced concrete building was erected as a commercial and garage structure for J. H. Morris. Local architect V. W. Breeze designed it, and a newspaper that year put its cost at about $38,000. The facade is tan stretcher-bond brick trimmed with limestone. The central four of eight bays project slightly, and parallel brick piers emphasize their height. The parapet carries corbelled vee patterns, recessed panels, soldier courses, limestone inserts with an inverted fountain motif, and feather-motif caps on the central piers. A garage door behind wrought-iron gates sits at one side of the entrance, with a display window on the other. The first listed occupant was the Asheville Transfer and Storage Company. The building is valued as a key structure on Coxe Avenue, related to the nearby auto warehouses, and for Art Deco detailing that looks ahead to later commercial architecture. Its design and workmanship rank above average for downtown, and it remains largely intact.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it a key structure on Coxe Avenue and a sister to the nearby auto warehouses. Its Art Deco detailing anticipates commercial buildings of the 1930s and 1940s. The design and workmanship are described as above average for downtown, and the building is nearly intact apart from a well-designed new entrance.
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 79001665, listed April 26, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 192-194 Coxe Ave., Asheville |
|---|---|
| County | Buncombe County |
| Listed | April 26, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79001665 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1929 |
| Architect / builder | V. W. Breeze (architect); J. H. Morris (original owner) |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as complete and intact except for a replaced entrance; the original door and frame were replaced with an aluminum and glass entrance. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 35.58743, -82.55436 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 79001665.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q17985622
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.