Pitt County Courthouse
Why it's listed
Pitt County's courthouse in downtown Greenville was built in 1910 after fire destroyed its predecessor. County officials hired Milburn and Heister, a Washington, D.C. architectural firm that designed eleven North Carolina county courthouses. It is a three-story tan brick building in the Neo-Classical Revival style, set on an ashlar base. Features associated with the firm's work include an Ionic portico, a dentil and modillion cornice under a hipped roof, corner quoins, stone flat arches with keystones over windows, and a three-stage cupola that dominates the city skyline. Tall round-arched windows light the second-floor courtroom. The county's earlier courthouses included a log structure from 1760 and a building burned in 1858, followed by a replacement that burned in 1910. Interior renovations in 1948 added new lights, vinyl wall coverings and a terrazzo floor, yet original wooden doors, transoms, marble wainscot and iron stair railings remain. A 1965 annex adjoins the north side, and the building sits on a sparsely planted square.
Significance in brief: The building is presented as a representative example of Neo-Classical Revival style and as the work of Milburn and Heister, a prolific firm that designed eleven North Carolina county courthouses. It replaced a courthouse that burned in 1910 and still dominates the Greenville skyline. Much of its original interior fabric survives despite a 1948 renovation.
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 79001745, listed May 10, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | N. 3rd St. between Washington and S. Evan St., Greenville |
|---|---|
| County | Pitt County |
| Listed | May 10, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79001745 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Milburn and Heister |
| Architectural style | Neo-Classical Revival |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Politics/Government, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still appears to serve as the county courthouse; interior renovated in 1948 and a 1965 annex added on the north side. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Greenville Commercial Historic District |
| Coordinates | 35.61377, -77.37275 (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.
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 79001745.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19987593
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.