Sumrell and McCoy Building
Why it's listed
Built in 1910 at the corner of North Queen and West Blount streets in Kinston, this brick building of about 30,000 square feet served as the home of the Sumrell and McCoy wholesale grocery company. It has two stories and a full basement, heavy post and beam construction in wood and steel, and a trapezoidal plan that follows its lot. The narrow Queen Street facade carries the most decoration, including a projecting gable, brick quoins, label moldings with cast-iron keystones, and prism glass transoms. A rear passageway once let wagons and later trucks pass through for unloading. George W. Sumrell and Henry H. McCoy founded the firm about 1900, and it later operated as H. H. McCoy Company until the mid 1950s. Hardware and building supply businesses later occupied the building. It is significant as a largely intact example of early 20th-century commercial architecture and as a reminder of Kinston's wholesale grocery trade. Recent plans call for conversion to an arts center.
Significance in brief: The building is a relatively intact, representative example of the large commercial and industrial buildings erected in Kinston in the early 20th century. It also represents the wholesale grocery trade that was central to Kinston's booming commercial economy in the first three decades of the century. Sumrell and McCoy was one of the first and largest such firms and operated for more than fifty years.
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 89002134, listed December 21, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 400 N. Queen St., Kinston |
|---|---|
| County | Lenoir County |
| Listed | December 21, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89002134 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1910-1939 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Commercial Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as standing vacant for several years, with many window openings boarded up; the Community Council for the Arts has purchased it and plans to renovate it as an arts center. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Within district | Kinston Commercial Historic District (Additional Documentation) |
| Coordinates | 35.26391, -77.58141 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 89002134.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q24041334
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.