As local historic districts, these neighborhoods were each designated  by the Statesville City Council upon recommendation of the
Statesville Historic Preservation Commission and are subject to design review by the Commission. All four of Statesville’s historic
districts are also listed in the National Register of Historic Places, a separate program that recognizes properties of cultural significance.  Although not locally designated, Statesville’s commercial downtown  district is also listed in the National Register. While National Register listing is primarily an honor, owners of properties in National Register districts may be eligible for tax credits claimed against costs incurred during rehabilitation.


The Academy Hill District is the smallest of Statesville’s historic districts. It is a mixed-use neighborhood that developed primarily

during the late nineteeth and early twentieth centuries. Its focal points are Mulberry Street School and the Statesville Male Academy
which was constructed in 1874 and served as a private school for more than a quarter of a century.   A brick manufacturing plant,
foundry, machine shop, and mirror manufacturing plant contributed  to the neighborhood’s vitality in the early twentieth century. Historically, the schools, industries, and residential components of the neighborhood were closely intertwined. Generally, the houses are modest buildings often with late Victorian or simple Queen Anne detailing.

The largest of Statesville’s historic districts, the Mitchell College District, is located just west of Statesville’s central business district.  The neighborhood surrounds Mitchell Community College, originally  chartered in 1852, and also includes several historic churches, a historic synagogue, and one of the oldest cemeteries in Iredell County.  A number of architecturally significant houses dating from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries reflect the local prosperity and the popular architectural styles of the period. While a diverse range of revival styles and bungalows can be found, the most prevalent styles in the neighborhood are the Queen Anne and Colonial Revival.




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The East Broad Street - Davie Avenue District is a linear neighborhood located just east of the commercial downtown. It includes a high
number of architecturally significant residences that reflect Statesville’s increased prosperity between 1880 and 1918. Along the
tree-lined streets of this well-preserved district are many fine local interpretations of nationally popular styles of the period, including the Queen Anne, the bungalow, and a diverse assortment of revival styles including Colonial Revival, Elizabethan and Tudor Revival.


The South Race Street District is a densely developed community of houses, churches, and neighborhood stores associated with the manufacturing and rail corridor which skirts the southern edge of town.  The district occupies most of eight city blocks. It consists primarily of  both large, two story houses and smaller worker class houses built  between 1894 and the 1930s to house the skilled and white collar workers employed in nearby industries. The architecture reflects traditional house forms, including the I-house, double-pile, and cottages with hip or side gable roofs, as well as national styles popular during the period, such as Queen Anne, Colonial Revival and bungaloid.

The Statesville Historic Preservation Commission
The Statesville Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) was establishedby City Council in 1982. Its mission is to identify, preserve, and
protect Statesville’s historic resources and to educate the public about those resources and historic preservation in general. The Historic Preservation Commission consists of nine members, assisted by City staff, who bring with them extensive experience in maintaining the integrity and appearance of historic buildings. Appointed by City Council the HPC membership includes Statesville residents who have demonstrated special interest, experience, or education in history, architecture, archaeology, or other preservation-
related fields. Based upon its established Commission and City staff support, Statesville qualifies for the Certified Local Government (CLG) Program, a federal program administered by the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office.   CLG status benefits the community in a number of ways including elibility for preservation-related grant opportunities.

Description of the Design Review Process
Local historic districts are not created to prevent change but to ensure that future changes to properties are consistent with the character of the historic district. The Historic Preservation Commission does not require property owners to make changes to their properties and its review is limited to exterior changes. Alterations to the building’s interior and routine, minor repairs and maintenance of the building’s exterior that do not change its appearance and materials are not included in the design review process. The HPC reviews proposed

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exterior alterations, exterior materials, new construction, significant site changes, relocation, and demolition of historic buildings. For   demolition requests, the HPC may delay demolition for up to 365 days while alternatives to demolition are sought.                                                        

                                                

For information or assistance, contact the Statesville HPC staff at 704-878-3578 or 704-878-3463

The design review process provides a system for the timely review of proposed exterior changes before work is begun. Property owners
should contact the HPC staff early in their planning stages to obtain a copy of the design guidelines and an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA). A completed application form will typically include photographs of the existing conditions and drawings of the proposed work. Because proposed changes differ in scale and complexity, the HPC staff can advise property owners as to what information and drawings are required for proposed changes. Completed COA applications are reviewed by the Commission at their monthly meeting and approved applications are issued Certificates of Appropriateness.  This certificate is required before a building permit can be issued and must be posted at the building site while the approved work is executed.

A glossary of architectural terms is included in the Appendixes.

To expedite the review process, some less substantial exterior work items are classified as minor works and are routinely reviewed by the HPC staff, eliminating the need for Commission review unless the staff member feels the proposal warrants it. For more information on which changes are considered Routine Maintenance and Minor Work, refer to the Appendixes or contact the HPC staff person.  The HPC normally meets on the fourth Thursday of each month. To be included on the agenda, an application must be received at least fourteen days before the meeting. Contact the Historic Preservation Commission staff to verify the meeting date, time, and location of
monthly Commission meetings.

Reviewable work that is performed without a Certificate of Appropriateness is in violation of city code. The penalty can be the removal of the unapproved alteration, a civil citation, a fine, or other legal action. If the work is begun without a Certificate of Appropriateness, all work must stop until a COA is issued.

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Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation

The United States Department of the Interior has developed a set of national standards for the rehabilitation of historic properties. These ten national standards describe appropriate preservation treatments in a ranked order: retain, repair, replace. The Statesville Design Guidelines are modeled after the Secretary’s Standards, the current version (1992) of which is listed below.

1.A property shall be used as it was historically or be given a new
use that requires minimum change to its distinctive materials, features,
spaces, and spatial relationships.

2.The historic character of a property shall be retained and preserved.
The removal of distinctive materials or alteration of features,
spaces, and spatial relationships that characterize a property shall be
avoided.

3.Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its
time, place, and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical
development, such as adding conjectural features or elements from
other historic properties, shall not be undertaken.

4.Changes to a property that have acquired historic significance in
their own right shall be retained and preserved.

5.Distinctive materials, features, finishes, and construction techniques
or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a property shall
be preserved.

6.Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than
replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of
a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match the old in design,
color, texture, and, where possible, materials. Replacement of missing
features shall be substantiated by documentary and physical evidence.

7.Chemical or physical treatments, if appropriate, shall be undertaken
using the gentlest means possible. Treatments that cause damage
to historic materials shall not be used.

8.Archaeological resources shall be protected and preserved in
place. If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures shall
be undertaken.

9.New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction
shall not destroy historic materials, features, and spatial relationships
that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated
from the old and shall be compatible with the historic materials,
features, size, scale and proportion, and massing to protect the integrity
of the property and its environment.

10.New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be
undertaken in such a manner that, if removed in the future, the
essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment
would be unimpaired.