Richbourg Motors Building
Why it's listed
A three-story brick-faced automobile showroom and garage stands on the northeast corner of Coxe Avenue and Sawyer Street in Asheville. Completed in 1926 for Tench C. Coxe, the building was designed by Albert C. Wirth, who also designed the Flatiron Building. Its front curves gently to follow the street, and its bays are divided by stack-bond brick pilasters with limestone inserts. Broad limestone mock arches top each bay, and the parapet has brick panels with a limestone coping. The first floor held display rooms, offices, stock rooms, a Lincoln service department and a quick-service department, while the second floor housed the main Ford department. Upper floors were used for auto storage, and ramps rather than elevators linked the levels. Local newspapers of the period described it as the largest automobile business building in Western North Carolina. The building is regarded as a well-detailed example of the 1920s auto showroom and garage type, and as a contributing part of Automobile Row along Coxe Avenue.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is an important contributing structure to Asheville's Automobile Row and a well-detailed example of the centripetally organized auto showroom and garage of the 1920s. It was described at the time as the largest automobile business building in Western North Carolina. It was designed by Albert C. Wirth, the architect of the Flatiron Building.
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 79001681, listed April 26, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 50 Coxe Ave., Asheville |
|---|---|
| County | Buncombe County |
| Listed | April 26, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79001681 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Albert C. Wirth (architect) |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Downtown Asheville Historic District |
| Coordinates | 35.59229, -82.55468 (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 79001681.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18157275
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.