Winston-Salem City Hall
Why it's listed
Built in 1926 to designs by the Winston-Salem firm Northup and O'Brien, this three-story brick civic building stands on Main Street with a first floor of rusticated limestone and a balustraded limestone cornice. Its front facade is divided into seventeen bays, with a central pavilion framed by two-story limestone pilasters. Inside, a grand staircase with marble treads and a metal filigree balustrade rises from a marble-floored lobby. The building housed the city government for seventy-four years, and its exterior has changed little apart from replacement windows and a rear addition. It is considered the city's only example of Renaissance Revival civic architecture. Its place in local history rests on its role as the seat of municipal government and its connection to the industrial influence of the tobacco company that shaped the city during the 1920s.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is the city's only Renaissance Revival civic architecture and an important design by a prolific local firm. It is also tied to Winston-Salem's municipal government, which met there for seventy-four years and was vacated for renovations in 2000. The exterior is said to have changed very little, and the building is said to have been shaped by the influence of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.
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 01001130, listed October 20, 2001. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 101 S. Main St., Winston-Salem |
|---|---|
| County | Forsyth County |
| Listed | October 20, 2001 |
| Reference number | 01001130 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1926-1951 |
| Architect / builder | Northup and O'Brien, Architects |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Politics/Government |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Vacated for renovations in 2000; renovation underway at time of nomination. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Downtown Winston-Salem Historic District |
| Coordinates | 36.09505, -80.24314 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 01001130.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18706200
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.