Brown, W.C., Apartment Building
Why it's listed
Built around 1941 on the north side of East Seventh Street in Winston-Salem, this two-story brick apartment building holds four rental flats. Its most recognizable feature is a central exterior wooden staircase that divides into two flights, forming a Y shape and giving each apartment its own porch. Full-height square brick posts support the front porches beneath a hipped metal roof. The building replaced earlier frame houses on land inherited by the Brown family, whose members had ties to tobacco, insurance, drug and clothing businesses. It was built as housing for African-American families, including workers at the nearby R.J. Reynolds tobacco factories, at a time when the Depot Street neighborhood was thriving. The design is believed to have been developed by a local construction company and is almost identical to an apartment building on Chestnut Street. Few such Y-stair buildings survive. It was listed for its role in African-American community development and as a little-changed example of its type.
Significance in brief: It is one of the rare surviving examples of the 'Y-stair' brick apartment type built in Winston-Salem's African-American neighborhoods in the late 1930s and early 1940s. It reflects the growth of the Depot Street neighborhood around the tobacco factories and the development of the city's African-American community. It also retains high architectural integrity as a little-changed example of this local building type.
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 98000725, listed June 26, 1998. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 311-317 E. 7th St., Winston-Salem |
|---|---|
| County | Forsyth County |
| Listed | June 26, 1998 |
| Reference number | 98000725 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1941-1948 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown (design believed to have been developed locally by Jack Covington of Wilson-Covington Construction Company) |
| Architectural style | Craftsman |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Black, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Building in fair condition with high exterior integrity; the downstairs east apartment is vacant and boarded up, while other apartments are occupied. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 36.10261, -80.24078 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 98000725.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19460696
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.