Kenworth Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Why it's listed
This 13.09-acre residential area in southeast Hickory extends an earlier historic district within the Kenworth subdivision, platted in 1913. The Charlotte firm of Blair and Drane designed the neighborhood with curving streets that broke from the grid of older downtown areas. Houses here date from 1915 to 1981, though most contributing buildings were built between 1945 and 1952, when the area developed heavily after World War II. The collection includes a few Craftsman bungalows, Colonial Revival houses, brick and stone Period Cottages, Minimal Traditional homes and modest Ranch houses. The 1915 Willard House, a two-story brick Foursquare designed by Charlotte architect Louis Asbury, is among the earliest and most imposing buildings. The area was recognized for its architecture and for its role in Hickory's planned suburban growth, which responded to a housing shortage as the city's population doubled in the early twentieth century. Of the 40 resources counted, 83 percent contribute to the district's character.
Significance in brief: The expansion is argued to be significant under Criterion C for its mix of nationally popular styles and vernacular house forms typical of early twentieth-century North Carolina suburbs, including a 1915 house by Charlotte architect Louis Asbury. It is also significant under Criterion A for community planning and development, as part of Hickory's first planned subdivision, laid out by the Charlotte firm Blair and Drane. Most contributing buildings date from 1945 to 1952.
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 05000435, listed May 18, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly along Fifth St. SE, Fifth Ave. SE, third Avenue Dr. SE, and Second Ave. SE, Hickory |
|---|---|
| County | Catawba County |
| Listed | May 18, 2005 |
| Reference number | 05000435 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1915-1952 |
| Architect / builder | Louis Asbury (architect of the Willard House); Blair and Drane (subdivision planners); Arthur Thomas Morentz (builder of one house) |
| Architectural style | Bungalow/Craftsman, Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival (Period Cottage), Minimal Traditional, Ranch |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Twenty-eight primary and twelve secondary resources, eighty-three percent contributing; the district is still in residential use. |
| Acreage | 13.1 |
| Coordinates | 35.72695, -81.32954 (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 05000435.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18153104
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.