Ivey, Rufus J., House
Also known as: Wa1718
Why it's listed
Built around 1872 along the road from Raleigh to Louisburg, this two-story brick house was the home of Rufus J. Ivey, who bought a 282-acre tract in 1871. The L-shaped dwelling has common-bond brick walls, a steep cross-gable roof, tall corbelled chimney stacks, segmental-arched windows with small consoles, and a porch with paired Doric columns added around 1900. Inside, a center hall holds an open staircase with turned newel and balusters, and Gothic Revival mantels survive in most rooms. The house was listed for its architecture. Wake County outside Raleigh had few stylish residences, and most rural houses were wood frame. This is one of only three surviving nineteenth-century brick houses outside the city and one of a few post-Civil War Italianate houses in the county. After Ivey's death in 1887 the land passed through several owners and shrank to 1.5 acres. The house now serves as a photography studio.
Significance in brief: The house is a relatively intact rural example of 1870s Italianate design in a county where stylish houses were mostly found in Raleigh. It is one of only three surviving nineteenth-century brick residences in Wake County outside Raleigh. Its irregular massing, steep roofline, corbelled chimneys and segmental-arched openings mark the style, and its masonry construction was rare locally.
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 06000223, listed April 5, 2006. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 6115 Louisburg, Raleigh |
|---|---|
| County | Wake County |
| Listed | April 5, 2006 |
| Reference number | 06000223 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1872 |
| Architectural style | Victorian: Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently used as a photography studio; the house retains a high degree of physical integrity. |
| Acreage | 1.5 |
| Coordinates | 35.85992, -78.55293 (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 06000223.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q20065133
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.