Mount Airy Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Also known as: Spencer's
Why it's listed
This five-acre addition to Mount Airy's historic district centers on the intersection of Willow and West Oak streets, just west of Main Street. It holds thirteen mostly brick buildings, ranging from one to four-and-a-half stories. The four oldest, built between about 1888 and 1905, were tobacco leaf houses and warehouses, including buildings of the Sparger Brothers Tobacco Company with stepped end gables and segmental-arched windows. From the 1920s they were converted to textile use. Smaller commercial buildings from the 1920s and 1940s were later absorbed into the same complex. The Mount Airy Knitting Company, founded in 1926 and renamed Spencer's Incorporated in 1962, expanded across the block with additions and enclosed walkways over Willow Street, becoming a leading maker of infants' and children's wear until it closed in 2007. Five buildings contribute to the district, and eight do not. The area was added because it keeps the massive industrial buildings that show a tobacco complex becoming a textile complex. The buildings are now largely vacant.
Significance in brief: The area preserves the surviving core of Mount Airy's late-19th and early-20th-century tobacco district, whose buildings were later converted to textile manufacturing. It shows the shift from tobacco to the knitting and apparel industry, notably the Spencer's infants' and children's wear company. The period of significance is ca. 1888 to 1962.
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 12000581, listed August 28, 2012. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Willow & W. Oak Sts., Mount Airy |
|---|---|
| County | Surry County |
| Listed | August 28, 2012 |
| Reference number | 12000581 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | ca. 1888-1962 |
| Architectural style | Other: Heavy Timber Mill Construction |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Industry |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | All thirteen buildings stand largely vacant, awaiting rehabilitation and adaptive re-use; Spencer's, Inc. closed in 2007. |
| Acreage | 5 |
| Within district | Mount Airy Historic District (Additional Documentation) |
| Coordinates | 36.50088, -80.61009 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 12000581.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19987209
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.