Oteen Veterans Administration Hospital Historic District
Why it's listed
Built between 1924 and 1940 on a grassy knoll beside the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville, this group of white frame Colonial Revival and yellow stucco Georgian Revival buildings replaced a complex of World War I-era wooden wards. The main administration building, completed in 1928 at a cost of $750,000, is a horseshoe-shaped four-story structure with incised quoining, classical cornices and a central entrance court. The site grew out of U.S. Army General Hospital No. 19, opened in 1918, and became a Veterans Bureau tuberculosis facility in the 1920s. Its wards used long screened porches and clerestory windows to admit sunshine and fresh mountain air, the treatment methods of the period. By 1944 the hospital held 1,269 beds, and it was regarded as the largest and best equipped tuberculosis plant in the VA system. Its architecture and its role in respiratory medicine give it its importance.
Significance in brief: The district is significant for its role as a major VA tuberculosis and respiratory treatment facility and for its collection of substantial Georgian and Colonial Revival buildings, which the nomination regards as the finest in western North Carolina. The complex is also presented as one of the largest and best equipped tuberculosis hospitals in the nation during its early decades.
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 85003529, listed November 20, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | N side of US 70, Ashville |
|---|---|
| County | Buncombe County |
| Listed | November 20, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85003529 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1924-1940 |
| Architectural style | Georgian Revival; Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Military, Health/Medicine, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The VA continues to own many of the older buildings, which are primarily used as dormitories; other buildings are owned by private organizations and are being converted to apartments. |
| Acreage | 30 |
| Coordinates | 35.59169, -82.48424 (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 85003529.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18155517
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.