Ivey-Ellington House
Why it's listed
Set on West Chatham Street in Cary, this one-and-a-half story frame cottage was built in the early 1870s in the Gothic Revival style. Its steeply pitched cross-gable roof, scalloped bargeboards, board-and-batten siding and pointed-arch windows give it the form of the style's pattern-book houses. The house is regarded as the best surviving Gothic Revival domestic building in Wake County, and one of only two in the county with board-and-batten siding. Its T-shaped plan and interior woodwork, including egg-and-dart mantels and a turned newel stair, remain largely intact. Its significance lies in its architecture and in how it shows Andrew Jackson Downing's ideas and rail-borne building trends reaching a growing railroad town in the late nineteenth century. A front porch was rebuilt after Hurricane Hazel destroyed the original in 1954.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a rare example of Gothic Revival cottage architecture in Wake County, with steep gables, scalloped bargeboards, board-and-batten siding and pointed-arch windows. It is described as the best remaining Gothic Revival domestic example in the county and one of only two board-and-batten Gothic Revival houses there. It also illustrates how pattern-book styles spread along rail lines to rural areas.
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 08000414, listed May 15, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 135 W. Chatham St., Cary |
|---|---|
| County | Wake County |
| Listed | May 15, 2008 |
| Reference number | 08000414 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c. 1870 |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Restored for commercial rental use; the front porch was reconstructed around 2000 after Hurricane Hazel damage in 1954, and the house had been vacant for several years before restoration. |
| Acreage | 0.8 |
| Coordinates | 35.78901, -78.78190 (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.
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 08000414.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19986668
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.