Denning, Thomas Marcellus, House
Why it's listed
Designed in 1924 by Charlotte architect Louis Humbert Asbury Sr., this two-story brick house on North Second Street in Albemarle was completed in late 1924 or early 1925 in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. Its red wire-cut brick walls carry deep parapet roofs with paired painted brackets and green roof tiles, and its windows use a custom double-hung sash with a four-pane transom above a single lower pane. A porch with a porte cochere and a glazed side porch extend the design. The house was built for Thomas Marcellus Denning, who came to Albemarle in 1900 as superintendent of Wiscassett Mills and remained with the company until retiring in 1960. The house is considered significant for its architecture and for its association with Denning, whose career shaped the textile industry in the city. Denning lived here until his death in 1962, and the house remained in family ownership until 2006.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is locally significant in architecture as a distinctive Spanish Colonial Revival design with bold tiled pent cornices and custom sash windows. It also argues the house is associated with Denning, whose long career at Wiscassett Mills, the largest employer in Albemarle for much of the century, shaped the city's industrial history.
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 10001177, listed January 24, 2011. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 415 N Second St, Albermarle |
|---|---|
| County | Stanly County |
| Listed | January 24, 2011 |
| Reference number | 10001177 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1924-1960 |
| Architect / builder | Louis Humbert Asbury Sr. (architect) |
| Architectural style | Spanish Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Industry |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Well-preserved; the document describes a current rehabilitation project and notes the house remained in family ownership until 2006. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 35.35615, -80.19836 (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 10001177.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19946107
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.