St. Philip's Episcopal Church
Why it's listed
Built of gray cut stone under a slate roof, this Brevard church on East Main Street was completed in 1926 to designs by Louis Humbert Asbury of Charlotte. The building follows Norman architecture of eleventh and twelfth century Europe, with a nave plan, a central two-story bell tower over the entrance, round-arched stained glass windows, and a chancel at the rear. The congregation began in 1883 with a wood frame church on the same site. That building burned on Christmas Day 1925, and the present stone church replaced it, using stone from a quarry south of Brevard. Local craftsmen and stonemasons did much of the work. The church is regarded as a high-style example of its type in Transylvania County and an unusual design among the town's buildings. Additions were made in 1963 and 1996, and the church is nominated for its architecture.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the church is a high-style, architect-designed example of Normanesque Revival architecture, unlike other churches in Brevard or Transylvania County. It also represents the role of mountain churches in the social development of the area in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The 1926 building replaced an earlier church destroyed by fire.
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 97001594, listed December 30, 1997. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 317 E. Main St., Brevard |
|---|---|
| County | Transylvania County |
| Listed | December 30, 1997 |
| Reference number | 97001594 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1926-1947 |
| Architect / builder | Asbury, Louis Humbert, Architect; Kilpatrick, Marshall, Builder |
| Architectural style | Normanesque Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Active church with additions from 1963 and 1996 and a rectory built in 1953. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | East Main Street Historic District |
| Coordinates | 35.23170, -82.73061 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
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 97001594.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7591516
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.