Hope Valley Historic District
Why it's listed
Built from 1926 on a rolling tract southwest of Durham, Hope Valley was laid out around an eighteen-hole golf course designed by Donald Ross and a clubhouse by Aymar Embury II. Developers Robert Jesse Mebane and Walter E. Sharpe marketed it as a country retreat for professors at Duke and UNC Chapel Hill and for Durham businessmen. Streets were curvilinear and unpaved of curbs and sidewalks by design, and the course is the district's organizing element. Houses from the 1920s through the 1950s include architect-designed Tudor Revival, Colonial Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival and Norman Provincial examples, with several built by George Watts Carr. Early residents included faculty of Duke's new medical school. The district is significant for its landscape design, its residential architecture and its role in planning a suburban community linked to two universities.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues that the Donald Ross golf course is an excellent and intact example of his 1920s work, and that the district holds a significant collection of architect-designed houses in period revival styles. It also argues the district is significant for community planning, as an automobile suburb developed to attract faculty of Duke and UNC and Durham businessmen, with the country club as a social center.
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 09001105, listed December 11, 2009. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Avon Rd., Chelsea Circle, Cornwall Rd., Devon Rd. Exeter Way, Littlewoods Ln., Norwich Way, Stratford Rd., Durham |
|---|---|
| County | Durham County |
| Listed | December 11, 2009 |
| Reference number | 09001105 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, Norman Provincial Revival, Ranch, Minimal Traditional, Cape Cod, Modern Movement |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development, Landscape Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 300 |
| Coordinates | 35.96454, -80.05772 (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 09001105.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5899564
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.