Self-Trott-Bickett House
Why it's listed
Built between 1881 and 1883 on South College Avenue in Newton, this two-story brick house has a center hall, two rooms on each side of each floor, and a low hipped roof with wide eaves and curvilinear sawn brackets in the Italianate manner. William R. Self, a local manufacturer who made the bricks in his own kiln, built it but sold it within months, apparently because of financial trouble. Later owners included Sallie Trott, who ran a boarding house here, and Lawrence C. Bickett, a grocery wholesaler and brother of Governor Thomas W. Bickett. Around 1915 the Bicketts probably added the heavy wraparound porch with stuccoed posts and the leaded-glass entrance. The house later returned to Self's descendants. Despite alterations from the 1950s into the 1980s, it keeps its original form, and it is considered locally significant as one of a few surviving double pile brick houses of its period in the county.
Significance in brief: It is one of only a few nineteenth-century brick houses in Catawba County and one of an even smaller number that are double pile, with Italianate detailing. It is also tied to Newton's commercial development through its owners, including William R. Self, a manufacturer, and Lawrence C. Bickett, who ran the town's first wholesale grocery and was the brother of Governor Thomas W. Bickett. Bickett likely added the classical porch and entrance around 1915.
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 90001037, listed July 5, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 331 S. College Ave., Newton |
|---|---|
| County | Catawba County |
| Listed | July 5, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90001037 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1883 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown (built by William R. Self) |
| Architectural style | Italianate; Classical Revival |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single-family dwelling; the main block is intact on the exterior and the second floor of the interior is largely unaltered. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 35.65903, -81.22253 (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 90001037.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18157916
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.