Pine Crest Inn
Why it's listed
Pine Crest Inn is a resort complex on Godshaw Hill in Tryon, North Carolina, consisting of a two-story inn and ten cottages with 34 guest rooms. The inn and three cottages were built around 1906 in Neo-Classical Revival style as the Thermal Belt Sanatorium for tuberculosis patients. The venture failed, and the property sat idle until Carter Brown, a Michigan resort developer, rented it in 1917 and bought it in 1920. He renamed it Pine Crest Inn, enlarged it, designed and built four cottages, and moved log cabins from Tennessee to serve as guest quarters. Brown's guests often bought property in Tryon, and the inn became a focal point of the town's growth. He also opened riding trails and started the town's horse show and steeplechase, helping build its national reputation for horses. The inn is the last of four major early inns in Tryon still operating. Porch enclosures and other additions have changed the exterior, but original interior woodwork survives.
Significance in brief: The inn is the last of four major inns in operation tied to Tryon's growth as a resort community in western North Carolina. It is also linked to Carter Brown, who ran it from 1917 and helped make Tryon a nationally known equestrian center. Brown designed and built several of the cottages and moved log cabins onto the property.
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 82003500, listed April 15, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Pine Crest Lane, Tryon |
|---|---|
| County | Polk County |
| Listed | April 15, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82003500 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1906-07 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown for original buildings; later structures by Carter Brown |
| Architectural style | Neo-Classical Revival (original inn and cottages) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Entertainment/Recreation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and operating as an inn with a dining room; condition listed as excellent and altered, on its original site. |
| Acreage | 8.6 |
| Coordinates | 35.20871, -82.23385 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 82003500.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q20745481
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.