Trinity Historic District (Boundary Increase II)
Also known as: The Great A & P Tea Co.; Servall Dry Cleaning & Pressing; Earley B Ragland; Bob's Confectionary
Why it's listed
Built between 1927 and 1929, this wedge-shaped, one-story brick building at 209-215 North Gregson Street in Durham has four storefronts along a bowed facade, each topped by a stepped parapet with decorative brickwork. Three bays retain original plate-glass windows in metal frames, tiled aprons and entry floors, and wood-framed glass doors. The end bay was removed after a fire, likely in the 1980s. Standing at the south edge of the largely residential Trinity Historic District, it housed a grocery, a dry cleaner, a soft drink store and confectioneries from about 1930 to 1940. These businesses served neighborhood residents, many of them connected to Trinity College, and the soda shop and confectionery drew on the school across the street. Nearby Main Street buildings were oriented to automobiles and tobacco industry, so this block was unusual. It was added to the district as its most intact commercial building, under Criterion A, for its role in early twentieth-century neighborhood development.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is significant under Criterion A for its contribution to neighborhood development in the Trinity Historic District in the early twentieth century. It is described as the most physically intact example of commercial architecture in the district. Its businesses served the residents of a mostly residential, middle-class neighborhood tied to Trinity College rather than to the tobacco industry.
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 07001372, listed January 9, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 209-215 N Gregson St., Durham |
|---|---|
| County | Durham County |
| Listed | January 9, 2008 |
| Reference number | 07001372 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architectural style | Commercial |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently in business use. Bay 209 was removed after a fire, likely in the 1980s, and bay 211 has been slightly altered. |
| Acreage | 0.6 |
| Coordinates | 36.00329, -78.90847 (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 07001372.
- 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.