Expanded First Draft of Proposed Clayton Historic District Submitted

Expanded First Draft of Proposed Clayton Historic District
Nomination Presented for Review

The expanded first draft of Clayton’s proposed historic district has been presented to the State Historic Preservation Office for review, and is also available for review locally. A copy of the document is available for review at the Hocutt Ellington Library at 100 S Church Street and in the Town Clerk’s office at The Clayton Center, 111 E Second Street. It may also be reviewed online at www.townofclaytonnc.org.

The next step in the process is a review of the draft document by a staff person in the National Register Office for North Carolina. The consultant will then make the suggested changes and prepare a final National Register nomination. A presentation will then be made to the National Register Advisory Committee (NRAC) about the district at one of their meetings, the next of which is in February, 2009. The NRAC will make their nomination to the Dr. Jeffrey Crow, NC State Historic Preservation Officer. After he signs his approval the document is then sent to the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places in Washington DC who has 45 days to make a determination if the property is eligible for listing in the National Register.

The expanded proposed historic district is bounded by New Hope Lane, West Barnes Street, Stallings Street, Mill Street, Lombard Street and Blanche Street. This expanded first draft, adds 111 new properties and is comprised of 290 contributing buildings and sites and 92 non-contributing buildings. The proposed district’s period of significance is 1890 – 1960.

Copies of this document are available for review at the Hocutt Ellington Library at 100 S Church Street and in the Town Clerk’s office at The Clayton Center, 111 E Second Street. It may also be reviewed online at www.townofclaytonnc.org.

Contributing properties are a key to a historic district's historic connections, historic architectural qualities, or archaeological qualities. A property can change from contributing to non-contributing and vice versa if significant alterations take place.

One of the tangible benefits for a property owner with a contributing building within a National Register Historic District is the availability of the Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit, a federal incentive program that is matched by the State of North Carolina.

Historic preservation encourages reinvestment in existing neighborhoods, enhancing property values and local tax base. Historic buildings are an important element in a community’s quality of life, because those buildings provide the sense of community and identity that sustainable economic growth requires.

A public information meeting will be scheduled for early November. Property owners within the proposed district will be notified of the meeting date, time and location. At that meeting, National Register consultant, Nancy Van Dolsen, will provide a brief review of the process of developing the historic district, and give a presentation about the proposed Clayton Historic District.

For more information, please contact Downtown Development Coordinator, Bruce Naegelen at 553-1545 or via email at bnaegelen@townofclaytonnc.org.