West Chapel Hill Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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West Chapel Hill Historic District
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Mallette-Wilson-Maurice House
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 Location in North Carolina
Location in the United States
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| Location | Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
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| Architect | Jones, Jesse, Blackwell, James |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Bungalow/Craftsman, Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 98001528 (original) 100003930 (increase) |
| Boundary increase | May 9, 2019 |
The West Chapel Hill Historic District is a special area in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, recognized for its history. It is made up of several small neighborhoods. This district is found around the edges of West Cameron Avenue, Malette Street, Ransom Street, Pittsboro Street, University Drive, and the Westwood Subdivision.
This historic district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. It was made even bigger in 2019. The district includes a neighborhood where many homes were built for families with good incomes. Its growth is closely linked to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the town of Chapel Hill itself.
Contents
How Chapel Hill Grew Over Time
Early Days: The 1700s and 1800s
The story of Chapel Hill began with the creation of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Local settlers gave 1,386 acres of land to the state government. They wanted the university to be built in Chapel Hill. The university officially started in 1789 and welcomed its first students in 1795.
At first, the village grew slowly. But in the 1850s, it started to grow faster as the university got more money and more students. In 1851, Chapel Hill officially became a town. The West Chapel Hill area was included within these new town limits. Before this, the area west of the university was considered outside the main village. Most homes were built around Franklin Street and Rosemary Lane, which were the main roads then.
The 1900s: New People and Ideas
In the early 1900s, many new people moved to Chapel Hill for work and to start businesses. A public school system also began in 1909. After 1900, the university grew a lot, bringing in many professors and their families. The neighborhoods in West Chapel Hill offered homes and land for them.
Chapel Hill's economy has always been about education. Many leading citizens were professors. Some of them even bought and sold land as a hobby. This helped them earn extra money. Other important people in politics, banking, and business also moved to the area. This made West Chapel Hill home to some of the wealthiest families in town during the early 1900s.
How City Planning Changed Neighborhoods
Around the United States, communities started to think about making new neighborhoods better. This was partly because of the City Beautiful Movement. This idea came after the 1899 Chicago World's Fair. The movement believed that beautiful city spaces could make people feel better and act better.
In the 1920s, West Chapel Hill's growth was shaped by this idea. You can see it in the large lawns and park-like areas around many homes built then. There were also nice walkways.
Another idea, the Neighborhood Movement, also started in the 1920s. It suggested that attractive neighborhoods could help shape how people behaved. This led to better neighborhood planning. For example, land along McCauley and Vance Streets was divided into smaller, more even lots than those on West Cameron Avenue.
The Great Depression's Impact
The Great Depression in the 1930s affected Chapel Hill's economy. The university received less money from the state. This meant professors' salaries were cut. To make up for it, many professors rented rooms to students.
By 1935, the university's funding went back to normal. This helped home building improve. The town kept growing as the university expanded. New businesses opened, and more housing was needed.
Between 1933 and 1937, a professor named W.F. Prouty divided land in the Westwood area into building lots. Westwood Drive was the first street built there. In 1950, Chapel Hill expanded its town limits for the first time since 1851. The next year, the Westwood area officially became part of Chapel Hill.
Chapel Hill Today: Continued Growth
Chapel Hill's population grew a lot from 1950 to 1970. By 2010, there were over 57,000 people living in the town. This big growth happened because the university kept getting bigger. Also, the Research Triangle Park was created nearby, bringing more jobs.
Today, students, teachers, and staff keep moving to Chapel Hill. They need homes close to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus. This means the West Chapel Hill Historic District and the university are still very connected.
Important Streets in the District
The West Chapel Hill Historic District has two main streets: Cameron Avenue and McCauley Street. Both of these streets are named after important people from Chapel Hill's past.
Cameron Avenue: A University Road
Cameron Avenue is a road that goes through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus. It separates two main areas of the campus. The street was named Cameron Avenue in 1885. It was named after Paul Carrington Cameron. Before that, it was called "College Avenue." It used to be the southern edge of the university campus.
After the university closed for a few years during Reconstruction in the 1870s, Cameron worked to help reopen it in 1875. Cameron lived in Chapel Hill in the mid-1800s. He became the richest man in the state because he invested in land. He also loaned money to the university to finish building Memorial Hall. In the 1880s, Cameron Avenue was extended west, beyond the campus. It then became a main road for what is now the West Chapel Hill Historic District.
McCauley Street: Named by a Landowner
McCauley Street is a road that goes through a neighborhood west of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus. It is named after David McCauley. He was an important merchant and the biggest landowner in Chapel Hill by 1875. David McCauley was the great-grandson of William and Matthew McCauley. They were some of the first people to donate land to help start the university.
David McCauley named the street after himself. He also named Vance Street and Ransom Street, which are also in the West Chapel Hill Historic District. He named these streets after two of his favorite Democratic politicians: Governor Zebulon Vance and Dr. Edward Ransom, who was an important lawmaker.
Architectural Styles of Homes
The West Chapel Hill Historic District mostly has homes built between 1845 and 1948. These homes show different building styles. Some of the styles you can see include Colonial Revival, Craftsman Bungalow, Tudor Revival, Queen Anne, and Ranch.
Historic Houses in the District
The National Register of Historic Places recognizes 13 historic houses in the West Chapel Hill Historic District. Here are some of them:
- John O'Daniel House
- Address: 237 McCauley Street
- Built: 1900
- Style: Queen Anne cottage, showing a shift towards Colonial Revival with a classic porch.
- Webb House (Caldwell-Mitchell House)
- Address: 211 McCauley Street
- Built: 1913
- Style: Colonial Revival
- Dewitt Neville House
- Address: 311 Patterson Place
- Built: 1927
- Style: Craftsman Bungalow
- Chi Psi Fraternity House
- Address: 321 West Cameron Avenue
- Built: 1930
- Style: Jacobethan Revival
- United Church of Christ
- Address: 211 W. Cameron Avenue
- Built: 1914
- Style: Gothic Revival
- Pool-Harris House
- Address: 206 W. Cameron Avenue
- Built: 1870
- Style: Late-Nineteenth Century
- Mallette-Wilson-Maurice House
- Address: 215 W. Cameron Avenue
- Built: 1845
- Style: Late-Nineteenth Century
- Scott-Smith-Gattis House
- Address: 400 W. Cameron Avenue
- Built: 1860
- Style: Late-Nineteenth Century
- Mason-Lloyd Wiley House
- Address: 412 W. Cameron Avenue
- Built: 1860
- Style: Late-Nineteenth Century
- Pool-Harris Patterson House
- Address: 403 W. Cameron Avenue
- Built: 1870
- Style: Late-Nineteenth Century
- Warriole-Tilley House
- Address: 113 Mallette Street
- Built: 1890-1900
- Style: Late-Nineteenth Century
- Morris-Gore-Hocutt House
- Address: 117 Mallette Street
- Built: 1850
- Style: Late-Nineteenth Century
- Sallie Davis-Clyde Eubanks House
- Address: 129 Mallette Street
- Built: 1880
- Style: Late-Nineteenth Century
