Downtown North Historic District
Also known as: Trade Street District
Why it's listed
Just north of downtown Winston-Salem, this district of brick commercial buildings covers parts of eight blocks around Trade and Liberty streets. It developed as a workingman's downtown, where farmers selling tobacco and other products could also buy the goods they needed. Most of the 58 resources were built between ca. 1907 and 1952, with more than half erected in the 1920s, a period of strong local prosperity. Many are plain one- to three-story masonry buildings, some with corbeled cornices, stepped parapets, terra cotta and clay tile details. The most polished building is the former Post Office of 1914-15, a Beaux Arts design with a Corinthian colonnade, enlarged in 1936-37. Other notable examples include a Tudor Revival former church education building, a Moderne hardware company building with sunburst panels, and a former Pure Oil station in an English cottage style. Although many storefronts have been altered, upper floors largely survive, and about 80 percent of resources contribute to the district's character.
Significance in brief: The district served as a 'workingman's downtown' where farmers came to sell tobacco and other goods and stayed to shop. It preserves a compact collection of early twentieth-century commercial buildings, most built in the 1920s, along with a Beaux Arts former post office and examples of Tudor Revival, Moderne and oil-company cottage styles.
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 02001669, listed December 31, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by W. Fifth, W. Eighth, N. Main and N. Cherry Sts., Winston-Salem |
|---|---|
| County | Forsyth County |
| Listed | December 31, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02001669 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | ca. 1907-1952 |
| Architect / builder | Oscar Wenderoth (original 1914-15 Post Office); Northup and O'Brien (1936-37 Post Office addition and 1925 City Market) |
| Architectural style | Commercial Style, Beaux Arts, Moderne, Tudor Revival |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Most buildings retain upper-story integrity though many storefronts are remodeled; 46 contributing and 12 non-contributing resources. The former Post Office is now an event venue. |
| Acreage | 20 |
| Coordinates | 36.10354, -80.24475 (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 02001669.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19461395
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.