Battery Heights Historic District
Why it's listed
Battery Heights is a small neighborhood of about eleven acres roughly half a mile southeast of downtown Raleigh. Its houses, built between 1956 and 1964, are mostly brick Ranch homes, along with three Split-Level houses. Seventeen houses and one outbuilding contribute to the district, while four houses, six outbuildings and one structure date from later years. Streets are wide with granite curbing and no sidewalks, and many lots are mature and landscaped. The neighborhood was laid out on land once owned by Bartholomew Gatling and named for Civil War earthworks that stood nearby. During the segregation era it was one of only a few Raleigh subdivisions intended for black families. Early residents included dentists, physicians, teachers, a school counselor and a future county sheriff. Beyond this social history, the district preserves a highly intact set of mid-century modern house types, some possibly drawn from Standard Homes Company plans, which reflect national and local housing trends of the period.
Significance in brief: The district is significant under Criterion A for community planning and development and Black ethnic heritage, as one of only a handful of Raleigh subdivisions planned for and open to black families during segregation. It is also significant under Criterion C for its intact collection of Ranch and Split-Level houses typical of post-World War II modern design. Original owners included physicians, educators, builders and government employees.
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 10001111, listed January 3, 2011. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Bounded roughly by E Martin St on the N, Battery Dr on the E, E Davie St on the S, and Sherrybrook Dr on the W, Raleigh |
|---|---|
| County | Wake County |
| Listed | January 3, 2011 |
| Reference number | 10001111 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1956-1964 |
| Architect / builder | Antonio Ozart of Savannah, Georgia (architect, 1601 Miller Street); George Exum and John Gatling (builders of individual houses) |
| Architectural style | Ranch, Contemporary Ranch, Split-Level |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development, Black |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Residential neighborhood still in use as single dwellings; most houses retain a high degree of architectural integrity. |
| Acreage | 11 |
| Coordinates | 35.77689, -78.61495 (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).
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 10001111.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4869853
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.