North Cherry Street Historic District
Why it's listed
North Cherry Street and several adjoining streets north of downtown Winston-Salem hold a compact neighborhood of about eighty buildings, nearly all residential, built from roughly 1925 into the early 1950s. It was once part of the larger Boston Cottages neighborhood but was cut off when University Parkway was built in the 1960s. Craftsman bungalows dominate, joined by Period Cottage, Minimal Traditional and Spanish Eclectic houses, duplexes, and small frame cottages built around 1940 for lower-income families. Six brick apartment buildings stand among them, five with the Y-shaped exterior staircase associated with African American communities in the city; fewer than eight such buildings remain citywide. A stone retaining wall from the 1925 Kimberley Park School, a surviving corner store, stone walls and mature trees give the streetscape its character. The district was listed for its role in Black ethnic heritage, community development and architecture, covering 1924 to 1954.
Significance in brief: The district is described as a rare surviving mixed-income African American neighborhood in Winston-Salem, where many comparable neighborhoods have been demolished. It includes a cluster of five Y-stair brick apartment buildings, a type associated with the city's African American community and now rare. Its Craftsman bungalows and other period houses also represent typical middle-income housing of the era.
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 04001394, listed December 23, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | N. Cherry St. bounded by Fourteenth, Twenty-third and Seventeenth St., Lincoln and Pittsburg Ave., Winston-Salem |
|---|---|
| County | Forsyth County |
| Listed | December 23, 2004 |
| Reference number | 04001394 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1924-1954 |
| Architect / builder | unknown |
| Architectural style | Bungalow/Craftsman, Colonial Revival, Period Cottage, Side-Gable Single-pile House, Y-plan Stair Brick Apartment, Minimal Traditional, Ranch |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Black, Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Most buildings remain in residential use, with good integrity despite replacement siding, windows and porches. One historic corner store survives; the original Kimberley Park School burned in the 1960s and was replaced. |
| Acreage | 22 |
| Within district | West End Historic District |
| Coordinates | 36.10153, -80.25474 (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 04001394.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19987330
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.