High Point Bending and Chair Company, Former
Also known as: Boling Chair Company; Boling Company
Why it's listed
Brick factory buildings beside the railroad tracks on West Third Street in Siler City make up a chair-manufacturing complex that grew from a small buggy-parts business. Malvola Jackson Boling founded it in 1901 as the Siler City Bending Company, and a 1904 reorganization created the High Point Bending and Chair Company. After a fire in December 1907, a new three-story brick factory was built, and by 1908 it produced the first complete bentwood chair made in the South. Later brick buildings were added around 1920 and 1946, with further additions in 1960 and 1964. The company moved into fiber furniture, institutional seating and upholstered chairs, and by 1980 it employed about 500 people across two plants. The complex is recognized for its role in industry. It stands as one of the best-preserved industrial groups in Chatham County from the first half of the twentieth century and still operates, at a reduced scale, making contract seating.
Significance in brief: The complex is significant under Criterion A in the area of industry as one of the few surviving early-twentieth-century industrial complexes in Chatham County. It housed the first complete bentwood chair manufacturing facility in the South and helped make Siler City the county's industrial center. It is also described as one of the best-preserved industrial complexes in the county from the first half 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 99001332, listed November 12, 1999. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 108 W. 3rd St., Siler City |
|---|---|
| County | Chatham County |
| Listed | November 12, 1999 |
| Reference number | 99001332 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1884 - 1949 |
| Architectural style | Other: industrial |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | As of 1999 the company had reduced operations to about fifty employees but still maintained and operated its three factory buildings in Siler City, making mainly contract seating. |
| Acreage | 9 |
| Coordinates | 35.72603, -79.46664 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 99001332.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18151730
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.