Blake, Chairman, House
Why it's listed
Built around 1860, this one-and-a-half-story weatherboarded house in Davidson, North Carolina, is a well-preserved example of Greek Revival domestic architecture. It has a symmetrical five-bay facade, a pedimented side-gable roof, a pedimented front porch with Tuscan posts, a front door with sidelights and transom, and a center-hall plan with double parlors divided by sliding pocket doors. Original post-and-lintel mantels survive. For more than a century it housed Davidson College faculty and others, and it takes its name from Professor John Rennie Blake, who taught there from 1861 to 1885 and is credited with helping the college survive after the Civil War. Commercial development around its original site on South Main Street led to its move in 2000 to a spot roughly 150 feet away, where its orientation and view toward the campus remain close to the original. It is considered the least altered Greek Revival dwelling in town.
Significance in brief: The house is locally significant as a rare surviving mid-nineteenth-century dwelling in Davidson and as the most pronounced and least altered example of Greek Revival domestic architecture in the town. It also served as a Davidson College faculty residence and is named for Professor John Rennie Blake. It qualifies under Criterion C, and Criteria Consideration B was met because it was moved only about 150 feet in 2000.
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 04000905, listed August 25, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 318 Chairman Blake Ln., Davidson |
|---|---|
| County | Mecklenburg County |
| Listed | August 25, 2004 |
| Reference number | 04000905 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1860 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed current function is vacant; the form says the house is in excellent condition, being renovated, and will return to use as a private residence. It was moved about 150 feet in October 2000. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 35.49784, -80.84808 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 04000905.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19460564
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.