Hickory Southwest Downtown Historic District
Also known as: Second Street Place Southwest Historic District
Why it's listed
Five city blocks in southwest downtown Hickory, bounded on the north by the Southern Railroad line, make up this district of commercial and governmental buildings built mainly between the 1880s and the 1920s. The Abernathy Livery Stable, begun around 1885, later became the Hickory Bonded Warehouse, and it marks the western edge of the district. The Southern Railroad passenger depot of 1912 is a long brick building with a bellcast hip roof and an octagonal ticket office. The Post Office, finished in 1914 to designs by Oscar Wendworth, is a two-story Classical Revival building with a limestone portico of paired colossal Tuscan columns. The three-story Armory, built in 1911-1912, housed a National Guard cavalry stable and later served as a textile factory and basketball arena. The district reflects the railroad's role in Hickory's development, since the town grew after the line arrived and businesses here served travelers and freight. Its buildings document the town's commercial growth before and after World War I.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the district is an important group of commercial, industrial and governmental buildings that reflects Hickory's growth after the Civil War, when railroad-related businesses such as liveries, hotels, a depot and an auto dealership developed near Union Square. It states the district meets Criterion A for its significance to the transportation and commerce history of the city. It also notes that the district contains some of Hickory's most distinctive and relatively unaltered early twentieth-century commercial and governmental buildings.
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 05001409, listed December 16, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Portions of Government Ave.SE, Second Street Place SE, First Ave. SW and Third St. SW, Hickory |
|---|---|
| County | Catawba County |
| Listed | December 16, 2005 |
| Reference number | 05001409 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | ca.1885 - ca.1955 |
| Architect / builder | Oscar Wendworth (architect) |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The former passenger depot was converted to a restaurant in 1977, and the Armory was renovated in the 1990s into office suites. The Hickory Overall Company office is described as currently vacant. |
| Acreage | 10 |
| Coordinates | 35.73116, -81.34102 (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 05001409.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18151719
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.