Centerville Historic District
Why it's listed
Centerville is a residential and small commercial district southeast of downtown Winston-Salem, laid out in an irregular grid of streets including Chapel, Center, Lomond and Wood. Settled in the mid-nineteenth century between the village of Salem and Waughtown, it grew rapidly after the Roanoke and Southern Railroad was built nearby in 1892 and the adjoining Sunnyside industrial area was platted. Most of its roughly 110 resources date from about 1900 to 1930, including one-story side-gable cottages with Late Victorian porch detailing and Craftsman bungalows. The district's commercial buildings line Waughtown Street and date from about 1925 through the 1950s. Centerville was annexed into Winston-Salem in 1923. Its houses were occupied largely by middle-income workers at local factories, the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, and nearby shops. The district is regarded as an important record of early suburban growth in southeastern Winston-Salem.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the district is locally significant under Criterion A for community planning and development and commerce, as a rural village that became part of suburban and industrial growth in southeastern Winston-Salem. Its houses and small commercial center date mainly from about 1900 to 1930, and it is tied to nearby industry such as Forsyth Manufacturing and the railroad.
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 08000379, listed May 8, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Waughtown, Vargrave, Haled & Chapel Sts., winston-Salem |
|---|---|
| County | Forsyth County |
| Listed | May 8, 2008 |
| Reference number | 08000379 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | c.1900 - 1958 |
| Architectural style | Commercial Style; Bungalow/Craftsman; Late Victorian; Art Moderne; Modern Movement; Queen Anne and Eastlake references in houses; Minimal Traditional |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Commerce |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 15 |
| Within district | Washington Park Historc District |
| Coordinates | 36.07449, -80.24036 (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 08000379.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19460915
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.