Kinston Commercial Historic District (Additional Documentation)
Also known as: Queen--Gordon Streets Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Why it's listed
Downtown Kinston's commercial core was enlarged by adding blocks around North Queen, North Herritage, Blount and North streets to an earlier historic district. The combined district is roughly H-shaped and holds 65 resources, 43 of them in the expansion area. Buildings are mostly one- and two-story brick structures set flush with the sidewalk and sharing common walls, dating largely from the 1920s and 1930s. Details include corbelled cornices, quoins, keystones and multipaned transoms. The c. 1935 Carolina Theatre has a streamlined Art Deco facade of cream and black tile, and the Smart & Thrifty store received a 1938 Moderne marble front. Industrial and automobile-related buildings, such as the Ellis Carriage Factory and the Spence Motor Company Building, reflect how the growing use of the automobile drove commercial growth. The district also includes the individually listed Sumrell and McCoy Building and the railroad depot. Buildings were rated contributing or noncontributing by age and the degree of alteration.
Significance in brief: The expansion adds a second commercial focus to downtown Kinston and takes in two individually listed properties. The visible text does not include the Section 8 statement, but the description ties the area's development to commercial growth fueled by the automobile. It presents a cohesive group of brick commercial, industrial and service buildings in Romanesque, Art Deco and Commercial styles.
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 94000569, listed June 3, 1994. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by East and West Caswell, West Gordon, North Herritage, East King, North McLewean, and South Queen Sts; Spruce Alley, and the railroad right-of-way, Kinston |
|---|---|
| County | Lenoir County |
| Listed | June 3, 1994 |
| Reference number | 94000569 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | L.L. Mallard of Kinston (architect of the A & P Food Store Building, c. 1930) |
| Architectural style | Romanesque, Art Deco, Commercial Style |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture, Industry, Social History, Politics/Government |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Many buildings remain in commercial use, and a few vacant lots exist. The expansion area has 30 contributing and 13 noncontributing resources. |
| Acreage | 21 |
| Within district | Queen-Gordon Streets Historic District |
| Coordinates | 35.26233, -77.58131 (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 94000569.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19462790
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.