U.S. Post Office and County Courthouse
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Statesville City Hall, at 227 South Center Street, began as a federal building housing the post office, courthouse and customs house. The government bought the lot in 1889 for $4,000, and construction proceeded under Willoughby J. Edbrooke, supervising architect of the Treasury Department, with a cost limit of $75,000. It was occupied by 1892. The building is a seven-bay, two-and-one-half story structure of red brick and sandstone with a tall slate hip roof, a corner tower, an arched entrance porch, copper cornice work and terra cotta gable ornament. Inside, the original plan, plaster walls, wooden trim, Corinthian columns in the central hall, safes, and a second-floor courtroom largely survive. The federal government sold it to the city in 1941 as surplus, and it has served as city hall since. It is described as probably North Carolina's finest example of Richardsonian Romanesque design, with little alteration despite its change of use.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it probably North Carolina's best example of the Richardsonian Romanesque style, with rich and varied ornament. It also remains remarkably unaltered inside and out after its conversion from federal to municipal use in 1941.
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 74001355, listed January 24, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 227 S. Center St., Statesville |
|---|---|
| County | Iredell County |
| Listed | January 24, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74001355 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1891-1892 |
| Architect / builder | Willoughby J. Edbrooke, supervising architect of the U.S. Treasury Department |
| Architectural style | Richardsonian Romanesque |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by the City of Statesville and in use as city hall since 1941; condition listed as excellent, altered, on its original site. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 35.78317, -80.88727 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 74001355.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7891076
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.