Latham-Baker House
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Why it's listed
Built about 1913 on a hillside overlooking Fisher Park in Greensboro, this two-story house is a regional adaptation of the Prairie style, with a low hip roof, broad projecting eaves, and a green terra cotta tile roof. Its random-coursed, rock-faced granite walls are unusual for the style, and a smooth granite belt course emphasizes its horizontal lines. The architect was Wells L. Brewer, and the stonework was done by Andrew Leopold Schlosser. The house was built for cotton broker James Edwin Latham and his family, and a south wing with a porte cochere was added around 1916. Its interior includes a two-story stairwell with a walnut-panelled library and parquet floors. The house is significant as a rare example of Prairie design in Greensboro and for its association with Fisher Park's early development. It is also linked to Maude Moore Latham and her daughter May Gordon Latham Kellenberger, whose work supported the reconstruction of Tryon's Palace in New Bern.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a very rare residential example of the Prairie idiom in Greensboro, the only specimen of the style identified by a 1976 city-wide inventory of historic architecture. It is tied to the early twentieth-century development of Fisher Park, the city's first suburban neighborhood, and to the Latham and Baker families, including Maude Moore Latham's role in the restoration of Tryon's Palace.
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 82001298, listed November 12, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 412 Fisher Park Circle, Greensboro |
|---|---|
| County | Guilford County |
| Listed | November 12, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82001298 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1913 |
| Architect / builder | Wells L. Brewer (architect) |
| Architectural style | Prairie School (regional adaptation) |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Industry, Commerce, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied by Penelope Baker until 1980; property passed to Holy Trinity Episcopal Church upon her death. |
| Acreage | 1.9 |
| Within district | Fisher Park Historic District |
| Coordinates | 36.08233, -79.79138 (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 82001298.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19986737
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.