Lincoln Park Historic District
No coordinates published for this listing.
Why it's listed
Built from 1948 on a tract along Leggett Road beside the Tar River, Lincoln Park is a residential district of about fourteen acres in northeast Rocky Mount, Edgecombe County. Its single-story frame houses follow the Minimal Traditional style, with brick foundations, weatherboard siding, gabled roofs and small entry porches, and were designed by Wilson architect Thomas B. Herman. Wimberley and Gregory, with the Tar River Housing Corporation, marketed the subdivision exclusively to African American buyers, using Federal Housing Administration financing and planning standards. Its curving streets and planned commercial parcel reflected postwar suburban design. The Lincoln Park Motel and Restaurant, completed in 1953 with four rooms, became a rare lodging and dining option for African American travelers in the city and a gathering place for local fraternal and civic groups. The district is significant for community planning, Black ethnic heritage, and architecture.
Significance in brief: The neighborhood was platted and marketed exclusively to middle-class African American families in the late 1940s, and the nomination describes it as the first modern suburban development of its size in Rocky Mount to do so. The Lincoln Park Motel and Restaurant provided lodging and dining for African American travelers at a time when no other motels in the city served them. The houses are presented as a cohesive, largely intact group of Minimal Traditional-style designs by architect Thomas B. Herman.
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). NRHP reference 100013053, listed May 21, 2026. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by South Talbert Blvd., Arthur Drive. and Booker, Lexingtion |
|---|---|
| County | Davidson County |
| Listed | May 21, 2026 |
| Reference number | 100013053 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1948-1953 |
| Architect / builder | Herman, Thomas B. (architect); Home Construction Company (builders); Wimberley and Gregory (developers); Tar River Housing Corporation (developers) |
| Architectural style | Minimal Traditional |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Ethnic Heritage-Black |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The two razed house lots are vacant open space and the motel and restaurant buildings are described as presently vacant. |
| Acreage | 15.4 |
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).
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 100013053.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives)
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.