Oakwood Historic District
Why it's listed
Oakwood Historic District is a compact, three-block residential corridor of about twelve acres in High Point, North Carolina, just west of downtown and beside the railroad tracks. Its 28 contributing buildings, mostly houses and a few 1930s brick apartment buildings, date from 1902 to about 1939. The 300 block, the oldest, holds the city's only surviving collection of Queen Anne houses, including five nearly identical examples built as speculative ventures by developer Benjamin A. Best. The 200 block has brick triple-A houses, and the 100 block, also called Oakwood Court, has a broad grassy median with Colonial Revival, Craftsman and Bungalow houses, including one faced in North Carolina quartzite. It was among the last groups of homes built in the downtown area. The district retains even setbacks, mature plantings and little infill. Many buildings need rehabilitation, commercial development surrounds the area, and five houses have been lost in thirty years, which has raised concern about its future.
Significance in brief: The district preserves rare surviving urban residential buildings from 1902-1915, including High Point's only remaining collection of Queen Anne style houses in the 300 block, and the last group of residences built in the downtown area (the 100 block, 1921-1927). It retains its character, feeling and association with prosperous early twentieth-century middle-class neighborhoods. It also includes fine Colonial Revival and Bungalow/Craftsman examples and 1930s apartments.
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 90002197, listed February 7, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 100--300 blocks Oakwood St., High Point |
|---|---|
| County | Guilford County |
| Listed | February 7, 1991 |
| Reference number | 90002197 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1902-1940 (boundary text cites development 1902-1940; narrative references 1936-1939 for apartments) |
| Architect / builder | Developer Benjamin A. Best (speculative Queen Anne houses); Norman L. Garner (builder of 211 Oakwood); Roy B. Johnson (builder of a 1939 duplex) |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Bungalow/Craftsman |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still largely residential; many buildings need rehabilitation, and the surrounding area is largely commercial. Five houses have been lost over thirty years. One house, the Clark House, is described as empty. |
| Acreage | 12 |
| Coordinates | 35.95629, -80.01313 (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 90002197.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19987361
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.