Brown, C. S., School Auditorium
Also known as: Brown Hall
Why it's listed
Brown Hall, the 1926 auditorium at the C. S. Brown School in Winton, is a one-story Colonial Revival building of stuccoed tile block on a brick foundation. A pedimented portico fronts a five-bay central pavilion, flanked by wings holding six classrooms and the principal's office. The auditorium seated several hundred people. It is the oldest intact and unaltered building connected with the school and its founder, Calvin Scott Brown. Born in 1859, Brown founded Chowan Academy in 1886 to meet the need for a school for Black students in Hertford County. The school later became Waters Normal Institute and entered the county system in 1923, with Brown as principal until his death in 1936. The building was partly funded by the Julius Rosenwald Fund. It was nominated for its link to Black education after Reconstruction, to Brown's life, and as an example of early twentieth-century school architecture. At the time of nomination it stood vacant, undergoing rehabilitation.
Significance in brief: It is the oldest intact and unaltered building tied to the school and to its founder, Calvin Scott Brown, a noted Black educator and religious leader. The form argues it reflects the development of Black graded schools after Reconstruction and is a good example of early twentieth-century educational buildings in North Carolina.
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 85001657, listed July 29, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Off NC 45, Winton |
|---|---|
| County | Hertford County |
| Listed | July 29, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85001657 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1900- (specific date 1926) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as vacant and unoccupied, with a sensitive rehabilitation under way for school and community center use under a lease to a restoration association. |
| Acreage | 8.5 |
| Within district | Winton Historic District |
| Coordinates | 36.38529, -76.93804 (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).
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 85001657.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19460693
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.