Walker, James, Nursing School Quarters
Also known as: New Hanover County Dept. of Social Services Building
_2.JPG){kind=link}
Why it's listed
Built in 1921 with funds raised as a memorial to Rev. A.D. McClure, this four-story brick dormitory at 1020 Rankin Street housed student nurses of the James Walker Nursing School in Wilmington. It has a reinforced concrete frame, a flat roof, a metal cornice and restrained Colonial Revival and Neo-Classical details. Later changes include a 1926 addition, a 1937 south wing that was later demolished, a 1945 fourth floor and a 1968 rear elevator. Its two monumental porticos were removed after 1966. The nursing school graduated its first class in 1903, and one of those graduates received the first nursing registration certificate issued in North Carolina. The hospital closed in 1967 and its other buildings were demolished, leaving the quarters as the only survivor. The county used it for social services offices until 1988. It is considered significant for its role in early nursing education and as the second oldest surviving nursing school building in the state.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues statewide significance under Criterion A for its link to nursing and medical education in North Carolina and its rarity as an early nurses' dormitory. It is described as the second oldest surviving nursing school building in the state, after Wyche House in Durham (1910). Alterations are said to rule out Criterion C for 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 89000944, listed July 20, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1020 Rankin St., Wilmington |
|---|---|
| County | New Hanover County |
| Listed | July 20, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000944 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1921-1939 |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Classical Revival, and utilitarian industrial |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Health/Medicine, Education |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Vacant since July 1988, when the county Department of Social Services moved out; adaptive reuse was being sought. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Within district | Wilmington Historic District (Boundary Increase) |
| Coordinates | 34.24113, -77.93620 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 89000944.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q24041073
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.