Welborn, John Henry, House
Also known as: Dv-531
Why it's listed
Built about 1870 for attorney John Henry Welborn, this two-story frame house at 511 South Main Street in Lexington is an I-house with a rear wing and a projecting two-story center pavilion whose pediment carries sawnwork ornament in Italianate style. Around the turn of the twentieth century the original porch was replaced with a Neo-Classical wraparound porch, and a piano bay was added to the dining room wall. Inside, the original plan survives, along with an ornate east parlor with an inlaid black and white marble mantel and plaster ceiling ornament. A nearly unaltered smokehouse stands southwest of the house. Welborn, a Civil War veteran who became a civic leader and served as mayor in 1872, built it as the town grew as a furniture and textile center after the railroad came. It is valued as the last surviving example of its type in Lexington and a reminder of the middle-class Victorian homes that once lined Main Street.
Significance in brief: It is described as one of the last remaining nineteenth-century residences that once lined Main Street around Courthouse Square, and the sole surviving example of its Italianate T-plan type in town. It embodies an Italianate dwelling with a central pavilion, a rarity in Davidson County. It also reflects Lexington's postbellum growth as a furniture and textile center after the railroad arrived.
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 84002163, listed July 10, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 511 S. Main St., Lexington |
|---|---|
| County | Davidson County |
| Listed | July 10, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002163 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1870 |
| Architect / builder | Built by John Henry Welborn; architect/builder listed as unknown |
| Architectural style | Italianate Revival |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied private residence; described as well preserved and basically unchanged apart from rear additions and an early twentieth-century Neo-Classical porch. Of five outbuildings shown on the 1913 map, only the smokehouse remains. |
| Acreage | 1.5 |
| Coordinates | 35.81943, -80.25787 (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 84002163.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18379732
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.