McMinn Building
Why it's listed
Built in 1899 for merchant Nathan Van Buren McMinn, the two-story common-bond brick building stands at the north corner of the town square in Brevard, at the crossing of Broad and Main streets. Its ground floor holds three storefronts with cast-iron fronts manufactured by Mesker Brothers of St. Louis, each about twenty-five feet wide, and a separate doorway leads to a stair serving eighteen second-floor rental offices arranged off a U-shaped corridor. The Main Street facade has corbelled brickwork, and the building was the first brick commercial building erected in the county seat, following the 1873 brick court house. It was built as a rental investment and housed the Brevard Banking Company in its early years. It is regarded as the oldest and finest commercial building in Brevard. Its significance rests on its commercial role in the town's late-nineteenth-century expansion and on its architecture, notably the largely original second-floor office interiors and surviving pressed tin ceilings and shelving in the storefronts.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is the first brick commercial building in Brevard and the senior member of the brick commercial buildings that transformed the county seat's center after 1898. It is regarded as the oldest and finest commercial building in Brevard, with largely intact Mesker Brothers iron storefronts, corbelled brickwork, and original second-story office interiors.
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 94000034, listed February 18, 1994. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 2--6 W. Main St., Brevard |
|---|---|
| County | Transylvania County |
| Listed | February 18, 1994 |
| Reference number | 94000034 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1899 |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Storefronts are occupied by retail and service tenants, and the second-floor offices are in use; the document states the building remains largely as built. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 35.23399, -82.73417 (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 94000034.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19987063
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.