Dixon-Leftwich-Murphy House
Also known as: Leftwich House
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Why it's listed
Set on a knoll north of downtown Greensboro, this two-story brick house at 507 Church Street was built between 1870 and 1879 for merchant Martin C. Dixon and his wife Mary. It has a cruciform hipped roof with steep gables, metal cresting, paired one-over-one windows and pointed-arch attic windows. Gothic Revival and Italianate moldings run throughout the interior. A brick addition and a later frame addition were made over the years. The house is described as one of three important early postbellum brick structures surviving in Greensboro and a rare North Carolina example of its style. Later owners included entrepreneur Col. Alexander H. Leftwich and his daughter Annie with her husband Thomas J. Murphy, an attorney who served several terms as Greensboro mayor. The house became apartments in the 1950s. At the time of listing it was being renovated for business use, with removed porches to be replaced by compatible designs.
Significance in brief: The house is one of three early postbellum brick structures surviving in Greensboro and a rare North Carolina example of Gothic Revival design. It reflects the town's growth after the Civil War and its upper-class residential development along Church Street. It is also tied to Martin Dixon, Col. Alexander Leftwich and Thomas J. Murphy, a longtime Greensboro mayor and civic figure.
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 82003457, listed September 23, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 507 Church St., Greensboro |
|---|---|
| County | Guilford County |
| Listed | September 23, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82003457 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1870-1879 |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival with Italianate details |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Divided into apartments in 1954 and later undergoing renovation and restoration for business use, with the aim of returning it to its late nineteenth century configuration. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Within district | Fisher Park Historic District |
| Coordinates | 36.07967, -79.78675 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 82003457.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19461350
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.