Sawyer Motor Company Building
Why it's listed
Sawyer Motor Company Building is a four-story automobile showroom and service building at 100 Coxe Avenue in Asheville. Built in 1925-1926, according to Sanborn Insurance maps and a photograph from about 1925, it has a concrete and steel frame faced in dark red brick with cast concrete trim. The plan is trapezoidal, with the corner of Coxe Avenue and Hilliard Street cut at a 45-degree angle. Pilaster strips divide the street elevations into bays holding metal factory sash windows, and patterned brick spandrels with concrete inserts separate the floors. An ornamental parapet with pendants, name plaques and an arched ornament with flagpole crowns the front. The first floor appears to have held display areas and offices, while the upper floors housed service and storage. The building is significant as one of the largest on Coxe Avenue's "Automobile Row," sharing the uniform layout of its neighbors and standing out for its detailing. It was listed as part of Asheville's multiple resource area.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it a key structure in the series of automobile-related buildings on Coxe Avenue's "Automobile Row." It is among the largest of these showroom and service buildings and shares their centripetal plan and uniform layout. It is also noted for its cast concrete trim.
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 79001682, listed April 26, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 100 Coxe Ave., Asheville |
|---|---|
| County | Buncombe County |
| Listed | April 26, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79001682 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1925-1926 |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in commercial use; the first floor has aluminum replacement display sash and doors, and the building is listed with a tire company at the address. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 35.59076, -82.55465 (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 79001682.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18157796
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.