Downtown Asheville Historic District
Also known as: See Also:76001307; 76001306; 79001933; 78001933; 78001935; 770009; 11000972
Why it's listed
Downtown Asheville's historic district covers roughly thirty blocks at the center of the city's business, government and institutional life. Its buildings date mostly from the end of the nineteenth century to World War II and range from one-story shops to modest skyscrapers. Styles include Romanesque Revival, eclectic Victorian, Neo-Gothic, Neo-Georgian, Art Deco and Commercial Classical. Three public spaces are included: Pack Square, City-County Plaza and Pritchard Park. Key buildings include the 1928 seventeen-story Buncombe County Courthouse, the Art Deco City Hall by Douglas Ellington, the 1923-1924 Jackson Building, called the first skyscraper in Western North Carolina, and the Thomas Wolfe House, the author's childhood home. Work by Richard Sharp Smith, Ronald Greene and other architects appears throughout. The nomination ties the district to Asheville's growth as a resort and commercial town, its early twentieth-century expansion, and the turbulent 1920s land boom. Some later buildings and altered storefronts are classed as linking or intrusive.
Significance in brief: The district holds a concentrated collection of commercial, governmental and institutional buildings that show Asheville's growth from the late nineteenth century through the 1920s land boom. Its buildings range from small one-story stores to modest skyscrapers in Romanesque Revival, Neo-Gothic, Art Deco and other styles. It also includes landmarks tied to Thomas Wolfe and to architects such as Douglas Ellington, Richard Sharp Smith and Ronald Greene.
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 79001676, listed April 26, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by 1240 Valley St., Hilliard Ave., and Broad Ave., Asheville |
|---|---|
| County | Buncombe County |
| Listed | April 26, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79001676 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Douglas Ellington; Richard Sharp Smith; Ronald Greene; Milburn and Heister; Edward L. Tilton; T. E. Davis (among others named in the inventory) |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival, eclectic Victorian, Neo-Gothic, Neo-Georgian, Commercial Classical, Neo-Romanesque, Art Deco and other styles |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Literature, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is marked good and altered. Most buildings are occupied, though the Young Men's Institute was unoccupied at the time with restoration planned. |
| Acreage | 85 |
| Coordinates | 35.59506, -82.55330 (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 79001676.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18149496
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.