Adams-Edwards House
Why it's listed
Set on the north side of Tryon Road near the Macedonia crossroads in south central Wake County, this farmhouse began around 1850 as a timber-framed, three-room dwelling with simple Greek Revival interior woodwork and beaded weatherboards. Quinton and Piresa Adams likely built it and farmed the surrounding land. Later, the William and Frances Edwards family owned it from the 1870s well into the twentieth century. Over the years the house grew: a room was added to the west end around 1860 and another around 1880, along with front and rear porches and a decorative center gable. A rear ell followed around 1900, and a well house of the same period stands nearby. The result is a single-story, side-gabled house with a rear wing. The original section is apparently the only three-room-plan house surviving in the county, and its changes illustrate how modest farm families updated their homes. The house is vacant, and a recent fire damaged its front porch.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a rare surviving modest mid-nineteenth-century house in Wake County, and its original section is apparently the county's only surviving three-room-plan example. Its additions in ca. 1860, ca. 1880 and ca. 1900 show how small-scale farm families enlarged and updated their homes over time, ending in a common triple-A cottage form with a rear ell.
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 06001109, listed December 6, 2006. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 5400 Tryon Rd., Raleigh |
|---|---|
| County | Wake County |
| Listed | December 6, 2006 |
| Reference number | 06001109 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1850 - ca. 1900 |
| Architectural style | OTHER: three-room plan house; Greek Revival-influenced |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The house is described as currently vacant. A recent fire destroyed the front porch floor, and a purchaser has a contract to rehabilitate the house. |
| Acreage | 3.9 |
| Coordinates | 35.74857, -78.73110 (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.
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 06001109.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q20065145
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.