February 19, 2023

Replace a Pivotal Historic Home - Lot for Sale in Historic District

Looking to build in a mature neighborhood? Greg Rapp with Salisbury Real Estate LLC presents this fantastic opportunity to build a new 'historic' home in the North Main neighborhood of Salisbury, North Carolina. The North Main Street Historic District lines the main corridor that spans from Salisbury to the Town of Spencer, with the city's most comprehensive collection of historic homes from the late 1800s through the 1940s.  The boulevard is lined with a variety of residential architectural styles from Prairie Four-Squares, Spanish Mission, Victorian Vernacular, to eclectic Craftsman Bungalows and even a Sears kit-house! The bulk of the homes in this area were built when the electric streetcar line was installed in 1905 from Salisbury to the Spencer Shops.  Rumor tells us that the trolley tracks still lie beneath the asphalt along Main Street! Now, bicycle lanes line both sides of the promenade from Spencer to Salisbury.

The large corner lot sits elevated above the sidewalk-lined boulevard, at the center of the Historic District that stretches 10-blocks to the south and another 7-blocks to the north. Here, the circa 1900 C.L. Emerson House stood, just two blocks from Salisbury's beautiful Hurley Park (an 18-acre public park composed of woodlands, streams, gardens and quiet pathways) and City Park (a 41-acre park with a a four-acre scenic lake, recreation center, tennis and pickleball courts, and more). 

The home was classified as Pivotal in the National Register of Historic Places. Five years ago, nearly to the day of this writing, the impressive home suffered extraordinary damage when fire ravaged the iconic C.L. Emerson House at 1008 N. Main Street.  While the home had once stood in grandeur on this prominent lot, it had more recently been a rental, then vacant, and then sold to a new owner who had been in the process of restoring it when the devastating fire occurred.







Historic Salisbury Foundation (HSF) now owns the lot and recently had what was left of the existing historic home demolished.  The Foundation has designed a replacement home to mimic the original historic home and is seeking a buyer for the lot under the suggestion that the new home to be built follows the plans or any agreeable plan that retains the historic character of the neighborhood, including the covered front porch and turret bay window at the second floor. Wood siding and windows will be required per the City of Salisbury Historic Preservation Design Standards. Some materials from the original house must be reused in the building: the handsome iconic cast concrete porch posts; a beautiful interior spandrel; the original decorative medallions that were at the two gable ends; and windows with diamond-pattern muntins that were at the staircase - all items that are currently in storage. If you always wanted to build your own new home, here is an opportunity where the design phase is already completed for you!





The North Main Street District is the last remaining residential corridor into the city of Salisbury, with deep tree lawns delineating the 17-block length of sidewalk-lined road. Homes are set back from the road and many have deep lots and deep back yards. This .34 acre lot boasts some of the huge shade trees that can be found up and down the historic neighborhood. Location in the North Main Historic District means that exterior design and materials approval is also required from the City of Salisbury's Historic Preservation Committee and most years, budgets allowing, the city's Historic Preservation Grant program supports exterior repair and improvements.




The C.L. Emerson Lot is just 10 blocks from downtown Salisbury, where you'll find unique shops, dining, and night-life, including two micro-breweries, two community theatre troupes, and a nationally accredited art gallery, the Rowan Museum, and the Rowan Public Library.  The City's 13-million-dollar Bell Tower Green hosts festivals and just plain clean-air living all year round.




Greg Rapp
with Salisbury Real Estate LLC is the area's best known real estate agent for all things historic: historic or vintage homes, buildings, and neighborhoods.  Greg can help navigate the intricacies of working with historic and protected properties, so with any questions on this wonderful North Main Historic District lot ~ or any other real estate issues ~ give Greg a call: 704.213.6846.  The time is NOW to make this centerpiece lot your new homestead ~ and be an important part of a historic revitalization in one of Salisbury, North Carolina's more prominent Historic Districts!



















Greg Rapp 

Salisbury Real Estate LLC 
704 213 6846 Mobile 
GregRappRealtor@gmail.com 
www.realestatesalisbury.net