McNinch, Frank Ramsay, House
Why it's listed
Built ca. 1925 on a wooded rise south of Charlotte, the white-frame house follows the Colonial Revival style, with a side-gable roof, a two-story full-facade porch on square Tuscan piers, and a center-hall plan. The design draws on Mount Vernon, a model popular after the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. The house was built for Frank Ramsay McNinch and his wife Huldah, and the contractor was Thies-Smith Realty. McNinch was mayor of Charlotte from 1917 to 1921. During the 1919 streetcar strike, the most violent labor dispute in the city's history, he organized a reconciliation committee and authorized citizen police to restore order. He later served on the Federal Power Commission under Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt, represented the United States at the 1935 World Power Conference, and chaired the Federal Communications Commission from 1937 to 1939. The family lived in the house year-round until 1930 and kept it until 1943. Its interior retains original doors, oak floors, and plaster walls, and the servant's quarters/garage is also considered a contributing resource.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is significant for its association with Frank Ramsay McNinch, a Charlotte mayor who helped resolve the 1919 streetcar strike and later held federal posts including chairman of the Federal Power Commission and the Federal Communications Commission. It is described as Charlotte's only surviving building directly associated with him. The house retains its key architectural elements despite alterations.
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 99000670, listed June 3, 1999. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 2727 Sharon Ln., Charlotte |
|---|---|
| County | Mecklenburg County |
| Listed | June 3, 1999 |
| Reference number | 99000670 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1925-1943 |
| Architect / builder | Thies-Smith Realty (contractor) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Restored and renovated by a recent owner; shutters temporarily removed for restoration and painting at the time of the nomination. |
| Acreage | 3.6 |
| Coordinates | 35.16101, -80.81906 (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 99000670.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19987069
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.