South King Street Historic District
Why it's listed
South King Street Historic District is a two-block stretch of Morganton that preserves a fragment of the city's late nineteenth and early twentieth century residential neighborhood. Dating from about 1890 to 1940, it includes Victorian cottages, a two-and-one-half-story Queen Anne style house, a brick Colonial Revival residence, Grace Episcopal Church with its stone Gothic Revival sanctuary and parish house, and the Morganton Library designed by Charlotte architect M. R. Marsh. The library, funded by Charles and Mary Kistler in memory of A. M. Kistler, was the town's first substantial separate library building. The former nurses' home, built by the WPA around 1939 to 1940, is the last surviving building of Grace Hospital, the first real hospital in Burke County. Modern commercial construction surrounds the district, yet large street trees, landscaped lots and the anchoring church and library parcels give it a distinct character. Many houses now serve as businesses.
Significance in brief: It is the only remnant of residential construction within Morganton's original grid plan and has long been a mixed-use neighborhood. It includes Grace Episcopal Church, the Morganton Library, and the WPA-built nurses' home, the last building of the original Grace Hospital. The district is significant for architecture, education and social/humanitarian history.
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 87001920, listed November 9, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | S. King St., Morganton |
|---|---|
| County | Burke County |
| Listed | November 9, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87001920 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | ca. 1890-ca. 1940 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown, M. R. Marsh |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival (Grace Episcopal Church), Colonial/Georgian Revival (Morganton Library), Victorian and Queen Anne residences |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as good; the district is surrounded by modern development, and most houses have been sensitively converted to business use. |
| Acreage | 5.5 |
| Coordinates | 35.74351, -81.68680 (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 87001920.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18158230
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.