Lawrence, Elizabeth, House and Garden
Why it's listed
Built in 1948-1949 on a seventy-by-225-foot lot in Charlotte's Poplar Gables subdivision, this one-and-one-half-story house was the home of garden writer and plantswoman Elizabeth Lawrence from completion until 1984. Its gray-stained cedar shingles, six-panel entrance door, and multi-pane sash windows give it a mid-century Colonial Revival character, and it was one of few one-story houses on its street. Lawrence treated the entire lot as a single garden, with a gravel entrance court in front and a unified planting extending to the back alley, an approach that was unusual in Charlotte. The garden was the setting for her second book, The Little Bulbs (1957), and for her Charlotte Observer columns from 1957 to 1971, which made the garden known to readers across the country. The property is regarded as the only surviving site connected with her working life after the Raleigh house and garden were lost, and it is significant for its links to her writing and landscape design.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the property is the surviving home and garden associated with Elizabeth Lawrence's career as a garden designer and garden writer, after her Raleigh house and garden were lost. The garden is described as the most intact example of her landscape work, and the house is noted for its modest design and the way the whole lot was treated as a single garden. Her books written and published from this home are presented as nationally important in literature and landscape architecture.
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 06000866, listed September 14, 2006. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 348 Ridgewood Ave., Charlotte |
|---|---|
| County | Mecklenburg County |
| Listed | September 14, 2006 |
| Reference number | 06000866 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1948-1984 |
| Architect / builder | Lawrence, Elizabeth Lewis (garden designer) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Literature |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The house was enclosed and altered in 1986 and the cedar shingles were replaced about 1992-1995; the document does not state its current use. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 35.17998, -80.84329 (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.
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 06000866.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19875027
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.