Oakwood Historic District
Also known as: See Also:73001374; Oakwood Historic District (Boundary Increa
Why it's listed
Oakwood is a twenty-block residential neighborhood on the edge of Raleigh's inner city, made up of cottages and larger houses with steep slate roofs, broad verandas and small front yards. Most were built between the Civil War and 1914, and styles range from late Greek Revival and Second Empire to Queen Anne and Neo-Classical Revival. The district is bordered on the east by Oakwood Cemetery, established in 1869 and landscaped in the picturesque park tradition. The area was developed by speculators such as Jonathan McGee Heck and Richard Stanhope Pullen, with contractor Thomas H. Briggs building many of the houses. Residents included railroad builders, merchants, legislators and educators. After World War I, many large homes became boarding or apartment houses, and the area faced possible urban renewal by 1970. Rehabilitation that began in 1970-1971 revived it. It was listed as the only intact nineteenth-century neighborhood left in Raleigh, a record of Southern suburban life in the late 1800s.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls Oakwood the only intact nineteenth-century neighborhood remaining in Raleigh. Its wide range of Victorian styles reflects the middle-class tastes of the business and political leaders who built there, and the work of local architects and builders such as Thomas H. Briggs. Its economic decline in the twentieth century preserved it until revitalization began in 1971.
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 74001380, listed June 25, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by N. Boundary, Person, Jones, and Linden Sts., and Oakwood Cemetery, Raleigh |
|---|---|
| County | Wake County |
| Listed | June 25, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74001380 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Thomas H. Briggs (local contractor); R. S. Pullen (builder of "Pullentown" brick houses); other local architect-builders named include William Percival, G. S. W. Appleget and W. J. Hicks |
| Architectural style | Victorian styles including late Greek Revival, Second Empire, Italianate, Queen Anne, Gothic Revival, Eastlake, sawnwork vernacular and Neo-Classical Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied private residences; about twenty-five houses were in various stages of renovation in 1974, and a proposed freeway threatened to cut through the neighborhood. |
| Acreage | 190 |
| Coordinates | 35.78750, -78.63871 (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 74001380.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5773585
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.