Schoenberger Hall
Why it's listed
Schoenberger Hall is a two-and-a-half-story brick house at 60 Ravenscroft Drive in Asheville, built in 1887. Its brick is laid in stretcher bond, and it has a slate-shingled mansard roof with several gables, an Eastlake-detailed veranda, Roman-arched windows, two rose windows in the front gable, and sections of colored glass. Inside, much Eastlake woodwork survives. The house was built to shelter the Ravenscroft Associate Missions and Training School, a post-Civil War seminary that trained young country men, some of them Confederate veterans, for the ministry. John Schoenberger of Pittsburgh, a friend of Bishop Theodore B. Lyman, gave $11,000 toward construction, and the diocese added $3,000. After western North Carolina became a separate diocese in 1898, the house became the bishop's official residence, first occupied by Bishop Junius Horner. The residence moved in 1957 and the house was sold. It later served as a shop and was then left empty and deteriorating.
Significance in brief: It was the home of the Ravenscroft Associate Missions and Training School of the North Carolina Episcopal Diocese and later the official residence of the Bishop of Western North Carolina. It is also described as one of the oldest residences in downtown Asheville and one of the best examples of Queen Anne/Eastlake styling.
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 79001683, listed April 26, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 60 Ravenscroft Dr., Asheville |
|---|---|
| County | Buncombe County |
| Listed | April 26, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79001683 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne/Eastlake |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as empty and deteriorating after years of use as a shop; few basic changes have been made to the house. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 35.59042, -82.55332 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 79001683.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18157817
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.