Morehead Hill Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Why it's listed
This boundary increase extends Durham's Morehead Hill neighborhood by roughly eight blocks to the west and south, taking in houses along Arnette, Vickers, Yancey, Parker and Wells streets. Most were built between about 1905 and 1955 and remain in residential use. The earliest are modest one-story Queen Anne-style tri-gable houses and pyramidal cottages, many built as speculative or rental housing. Later phases brought brick and frame bungalows, including a row of six on Vickers Avenue, along with Tudor Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival houses, Colonial Revival homes, Minimal Traditional houses and a few early Ranch houses. One Colonial Revival house on Arnette Avenue was built about 1928 for architect Thomas C. Atwood and designed by his partner Arthur C. Nash, the only house Nash designed in Durham. The district is recognized for its architecture and for showing how the neighborhood developed over about fifty years. It includes 119 contributing and 41 noncontributing resources.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the area is significant under Criterion C for architecture and for community planning and development. It documents successive phases of neighborhood building, from Queen Anne-style tri-gable and pyramidal cottages to bungalows, revival-style houses, Minimal Traditional houses and early Ranch houses. The addition brings the district to its logical boundaries.
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 04000567, listed June 2, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Includes portions of Arnette, Vickers, Yancey, Parker and Wells Sts., Durham |
|---|---|
| County | Durham County |
| Listed | June 2, 2004 |
| Reference number | 04000567 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | ca. 1905 to ca. 1955 |
| Architect / builder | Nash, Arthur; Atwood, Thomas C. |
| Architectural style | Bungalow/Craftsman; Other: tri-gable, pyramidal cottage; Queen Anne; Colonial Revival; Tudor Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current functions remain domestic, including single dwellings, secondary structures and multiple dwellings. Of the resources, 119 contribute and 41 do not. |
| Acreage | 43 |
| Coordinates | 35.99426, -78.91351 (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 04000567.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.