Poe, Edgar Allan, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1905 on a half-acre lot along North Main Street in Lenoir, this two-story Dutch Colonial Revival house was designed and built by Edgar Allan Poe as his family home. Poe was a lawyer, four-term mayor and prolific builder whose projects included the 1903 Caldwell County Courthouse and several downtown commercial buildings. The house has a gambrel roof, a gambrel dormer, a wraparound porch and a rear kitchen wing. Inside, the central stair hall features cove ceilings, an oak staircase with hand-carved balustrade and newel posts, paneled wainscot and beaded crown molding, apparently meant as a showpiece of Poe's skill. Though some interior finishes were removed during renovation, the form, plan, staircase, mantels and wainscot remain intact. The house was listed for architecture because it is one of the few unaltered houses on a once-prestigious residential street and the most intact early Dutch Colonial Revival example in Lenoir.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a highly intact example of Dutch Colonial Revival architecture with notable interior woodwork. It is also a showpiece of the work of Edgar Allan Poe, a prominent Lenoir builder/architect and four-term mayor. It is described as the most intact Dutch Colonial Revival house in Lenoir from the first decade of the twentieth century.
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 01000514, listed May 18, 2001. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 506 Main St. NW, Lenoir |
|---|---|
| County | Caldwell County |
| Listed | May 18, 2001 |
| Reference number | 01000514 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1905 |
| Architect / builder | Poe, Edgar Allan, builder |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival (Dutch Colonial Revival) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Under renovation at the time of nomination; the original porch balustrade was being restored, and the original weatherboard had recently been uncovered from beneath aluminum siding. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 35.91832, -81.54081 (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.
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 01000514.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5337101
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.