George A. Mears House
Why it's listed
Set on a rise above Biltmore Avenue in Asheville, this two-and-a-half-story brick house was built around 1885 for George A. Mears, a merchant active on South Main Street between 1870 and 1910. His best-known business was the Mears Daylight Store, named for its large expanses of glass, which burned in the 1920s. The house is roughly cubical in plan, with two two-story bays on the front, one semi-octagonal and one rectangular, and a veranda with turned posts and a spindled balustrade wrapping the southeast corner. A patterned slate-shingled mansard roof carries two gables and large gable-roofed dormers topped with sheet-metal finials. Fishscale wood shingles cover one gable. The house was recognized as the finest surviving residential building in downtown Asheville and one of the city's better Queen Anne structures. It is also the last fairly intact remnant of an avenue of upper-class homes that once ran south from the Patton House.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it the finest surviving residential building in downtown Asheville and one of the city's finer Queen Anne structures. Its slate-shingled mansard roof, prominent gables and finialed dormers are singled out. It is also the last relatively intact remnant of an avenue of upper-class residences that once stretched south from the Patton House.
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 79001678, listed April 26, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 137 Biltmore Ave., Asheville |
|---|---|
| County | Buncombe County |
| Listed | April 26, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79001678 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Both chimneys are described as in poor condition, and a carriage house shown on maps southwest of the house has disappeared. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 35.59045, -82.55089 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 79001678.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18154293
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.