Lea Laboratory
Why it's listed
Lea Laboratory is a brick building on the north side of the green at the old Wake Forest College campus, now the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Designed by Baltimore architect John Appleton Wilson and finished in 1888 at a cost of $13,000, it has a two-story pedimented central block flanked by one-story wings joined by recessed hyphens. Walls are laid in Flemish bond under slate roofs, and nine tall chimneys reflect Queen Anne taste. It was named for Sidney Slade Lea, a Caswell County tobacco farmer who funded it, and his wife Fannie. The building housed chemistry, with biology and mineralogy in the east wing, and an observatory was added on the roof in 1900. Gables were added to the wings in 1920. Other early campus buildings were destroyed or razed, leaving it the oldest survivor after the college moved to Winston-Salem in 1956. The nomination calls it the earliest known North Carolina example of Colonial Revival design.
Significance in brief: It is the oldest surviving building of the original Wake Forest College campus and was one of the first chemical laboratories on a Southern college campus. The nomination calls it the earliest known example of the Colonial Revival style in North Carolina, with Victorian details such as Queen Anne chimneys showing a transitional design.
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 75001298, listed May 29, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary campus, Wake Forest |
|---|---|
| County | Wake County |
| Listed | May 29, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75001298 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1887-1888 |
| Architect / builder | John Appleton Wilson |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as unoccupied on the form; the old Wake Forest campus serves as the Southeastern Baptist Seminary. |
| Acreage | 10 |
| Within district | Wake Forest Historic District |
| Coordinates | 35.98139, -78.51148 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
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 75001298.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q20679807
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.