Summerfield Historic District
Why it's listed
Summerfield is a crossroads village in northwestern Guilford County, eleven miles north of Greensboro, where Summerfield Road meets Oak Ridge Road. Its core was built by shopkeepers, doctors and pharmacists serving surrounding farmers. Two brick stores built by George J. Smith in the 1870s anchor the intersection, the Brittain Store with corbelled brickwork and blind-arch friezes. On the southwest corner stands the Alexander Strong Martin House, a two-story brick Greek Revival house dating to about 1835 or earlier. Henry Clay Brittain, a merchant, built a large frame Queen Anne house between 1898 and 1903, milling its lumber on a sawmill he set up on his property. The district includes residences from the nineteenth century through the mid-twentieth century, and its cohesion comes from its size, setbacks, old trees and surrounding farmland still visible behind most buildings.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the district is significant as the commercial center of a Guilford County farming community in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, built by merchants serving surrounding farmers. It also argues for architectural significance through a mix of styles, including the Greek Revival Alexander Strong Martin House, the corbelled brick Brittain Store, the pre-Civil War Charles H. Willson House, and the Queen Anne Brittain House.
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 05000437, listed May 18, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 4105-4210 Oak Ridge Rd. and 7702-7804 Summerfield Rd., Summerfield |
|---|---|
| County | Guilford County |
| Listed | May 18, 2005 |
| Reference number | 05000437 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | c. 1835-1955 |
| Architect / builder | George J. Smith (builder of the brick stores); no other architects or builders are known |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival; Queen Anne; Romanesque; Bungalow/Craftsman; Colonial Revival; Minimal Traditional; Period Cottage |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Fifty-five resources, nearly sixty percent contributing; the Brittain House is now offices of a forestry supplier and the Brittain Store was restored and dedicated as the Summerfield Town Hall in 2000 |
| Acreage | 26 |
| Coordinates | 36.20685, -79.90551 (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 05000437.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q20713444
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.