Peace College Main Building
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Peace College Main Building is an eleven-bay, four-story brick Greek Revival structure at the north end of Wilmington Street in Raleigh. A monumental three-bay portico with masonry Doric columns dominates the south facade, and brick pilasters, a wide entablature and pedimented ends complete the design. Inside, a Victorian stair with a massive turned newel winds from the ground level to the top floor. Peace Institute was incorporated in 1858 as a Presbyterian school for young women, named for William Peace, who gave land and $10,000. The building was only partly finished when the Civil War began, and in 1862 it was fitted out as a Confederate hospital. In 1865 it housed the Freedmen's Bureau. The school finally opened in 1872 and developed under Robert Burwell and James Dinwiddie into a junior college. Later additions respect the original building, which remains the visual focus of the campus and a surviving link to antebellum Raleigh.
Significance in brief: The nomination cites the building's Greek Revival design, lightened by Italianate and Victorian accents, and its prominent site at the head of Wilmington Street. It was used as a Civil War hospital and then as the Freedmen's Bureau before opening as a school in 1872. It grew into a respected junior college and survives as a vestige of antebellum Raleigh.
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 73001377, listed June 19, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Peace St. and N end of Wilmington St., Raleigh |
|---|---|
| County | Wake County |
| Listed | June 19, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73001377 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, with Italianate and Victorian accents |
| Areas of significance | Black, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in excellent condition and altered; occupied and in educational use, with sympathetic twentieth-century additions. |
| Acreage | 8 |
| Within district | Oakwood Historic District |
| Coordinates | 35.78931, -78.63807 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 73001377.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7157351
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.