Kilby Hotel
Why it's listed
Built in the early twentieth century on East Washington Street in High Point, this three-story brick hotel holds two shops on its ground floor, a barber shop and a beauty shop, with rooms above. Round-arched windows with decorative hoods mark the upper stories, and a shallow bracketed canopy shelters the storefronts. Inside, wide halls with arched openings, identical stairs lit by skylights, and plain plastered rooms reflect typical hotel design of the period. John and Nannie Kilby, leaders of High Point's Black community, built it. Nannie Kilby invested in real estate and acquired about thirty houses nearby. Her daughter Ora Martin later ran the hotel, and it passed down through the family to a fourth generation of operators. It served as lodging for permanent residents and Black business visitors and as a neighborhood social center. It is valued as a rare, well-preserved commercial building and for its family associations.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a well-preserved example of early twentieth century commercial architecture in Piedmont North Carolina and a rare survivor in a city that has lost much of its early commercial building stock. It is also associated with three locally prominent Black business and professional families: the Kilbys, Martins and McElraths. Family members have run it for several generations, and it served as a social and economic center of the Washington Street area.
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 82003460, listed April 22, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 627 E. Washington St., High Point |
|---|---|
| County | Guilford County |
| Listed | April 22, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82003460 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1910 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown (built by John and Nannie Kilby) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Black, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as operating as a hotel with shops, run by the builders' descendants. The owner has recently rewired it, added electric heating and new tile. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 35.96137, -80.00026 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 82003460.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19462764
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.