White-Holman House
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Why it's listed
Begun in late 1798, this house at 209 East Morgan Street in Raleigh was built for William White, a Lenoir County planter and son-in-law of Richard Caswell. White had just been appointed Secretary of State and was required to live in the capital. The original two-story frame house had beaded weatherboards, a three-bay front, a modillion cornice and a single-story wing on each end. Inside, a side-hall plan includes a closed-string stair, a paneled wainscot with a Wall of Troy motif, and an ornate parlor mantel. The house stayed in the White family until 1884, when William Calvin Holman bought it and later added to it. The City of Raleigh acquired it in 1968. Its interior woodwork resembles that of other houses in the Raleigh area, including Haywood Hall, suggesting a common builder. In 1986 the house was moved a short distance north and set on its numbered, reconstructed stone foundation.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is one of the finest remaining early residences in Raleigh and is essential to the study of early architecture in North Carolina. It belongs to a group of Raleigh-area houses with similar elaborate interior woodwork, and it is likely to share a builder, still unidentified, with nearby Haywood Hall.
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 71000627, listed April 16, 1971. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | New Bern Ave., Raleigh |
|---|---|
| County | Wake County |
| Listed | April 16, 1971 |
| Reference number | 71000627 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 18th Century |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as in good condition, altered, and unoccupied, with preservation work in progress. It was owned by the City of Raleigh and moved in April 1986 under a memorandum of agreement. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Within district | Capitol Area Historic District |
| Coordinates | 35.77959, -78.63612 (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 71000627.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q20679860
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.