North Carolina Electrical Power Company Electric Generating Plant
Also known as: Elk Mountain Steam Generating Plant
Why it's listed
Completed on July 1, 1916, this brick and concrete power house on the French Broad River in Woodfin was built by developer W. T. Weaver and designed by engineer Charles E. Waddell. It was the first of the Weaver plants to use steam generation, burning coal stored on site, and it originally had a 250-foot brick smokestack that has since been removed. The building keeps its original interior arrangement of basement conditioning room, ash room and turbine room, with exposed steel roof trusses. During the July 16, 1916 flood it was the only generating plant in Asheville still operating, supplying power through November while the Weaver Plant dam was repaired. The building is regarded as a rare, highly intact example of early twentieth-century industrial architecture along the river, and it is the only surviving one of Weaver's three generating plants. Its later east addition for a switch room dates to about 1925.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the plant is a rare, highly intact early twentieth-century industrial building along the river and the only surviving one of three generating plants developed by W. T. Weaver. It also states the plant was the only generating station to stay in service during the July 1916 French Broad River flood, and that it contributed to the industrial development of Asheville.
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 99000754, listed June 25, 1999. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 2024 Riverside Dr., Woodfin |
|---|---|
| County | Buncombe County |
| Listed | June 25, 1999 |
| Reference number | 99000754 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1916-1948 |
| Architect / builder | Charles E. Waddell (designer/engineer); W. T. Weaver (developer) |
| Architectural style | Industrial-style |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture, Industry |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 35.64032, -82.59780 (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 99000754.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18011308
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.