Eliada Home
Why it's listed
Eliada Home is a youth home complex on a hillside near Asheville, North Carolina, that grew from a children's refuge founded in 1906 by evangelical preacher Lucius Bunyan Compton. The historic district includes the 1915 Main Building, designed by Asheville architect Thomas E. Davis, and the 1930 Allred Cottage, a brick dormitory whose Tudor Revival details were added by builder Floyd W. Bordner. A farm complex of brick barns, a mill house and a chicken house reflects the dairy and agricultural work that helped support the home and train its boys. A northern arm of the district holds Compton's 1919 Craftsman bungalow, the terraces and concrete pillars of a 1921 tabernacle that seated up to 2,500 people, a 1930s log guest cabin and a hilltop cemetery. The district is significant for its role in North Carolina child care, for Compton's work, and for architecture reflecting the institution's uneven growth between 1915 and 1942.
Significance in brief: The home was founded in 1906 by evangelical preacher Lucius B. Compton and is significant in social history as one of western North Carolina's larger child care institutions. It is also described as the state's only facility catering specifically to children of broken homes and unwed mothers. Its farm and camp meeting resources show the home's religious and agricultural character. Its varied buildings illustrate popular early twentieth-century styles.
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 93000314, listed April 22, 1993. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 2 Compton Dr., Asheville |
|---|---|
| County | Buncombe County |
| Listed | April 22, 1993 |
| Reference number | 93000314 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1915-1942 |
| Architect / builder | Davis, Thomas E.; Bordner, Floyd W. |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Craftsman, Tudor Revival, Other: Rustic |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture, Religion, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The 1915 Main Building is described as unoccupied and deteriorating, and many contributing buildings are underutilized or not in use. The Dairy Barn has served as a retail outlet since the late 1970s. |
| Acreage | 25 |
| Coordinates | 35.60368, -82.61835 (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 93000314.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18149806
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.