Architectural Survey Update

Burlington’s Historic Architecture is about to get a closer look. The City of Burlington and the City’s Historic Preservation Commission (HPC), in partnership with hmwPreservation, a Durham, North Carolina-based cultural resources consulting firm, and the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office, is initiating an Architectural Survey Update (ASU) for a section of the City that is bordered by South Church Street, Tarleton Avenue, and West Webb Avenue.

The ASU will document historically significant properties in the designated study area built before 1970 – updating and adding to documentation prepared in 1982 and 1991, in which buildings constructed before 1940 were the focus. The ASU is an important step to providing pathways for further restoration and preservation of the historic structures in the community, ensuring continued access to State and Federal tax credits. Results of the survey will include recommendations for listing eligible properties in the National Register of Historic Places, either individually or as a district, a designation that makes property owners potentially eligible for state and federal tax credits for certified historic rehabilitations.

The ASU is funded by a 2020 federal Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) grant for Certified Local Governments (CLG) from the National Park Service (NPS), administered by the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office (HPO) of the Office of Archives and History. The grant award was $24,000 and the City of Burlington contributed $6,000 for a total project budget of $30,000. The City has hired hmwPreservation to complete the project.

Updates on the project will be available on this webpage as they become available.

For more information on the City of Burlington Architectural Survey Update, contact Jamie Lawson, AICP, Principal Planner, at jlawson@burlingtonnc.gov or 336-380-7064.

ASU Virtual Open House

Click here to view the April 14, 2021 virtual Open House informational meeting with the Burlington Planning Department and hmwPreservation.

What to expect during the survey

Members of the hmwPreservation consultant team will be conducting field work between April 1 and August 31, 2021. All field work will be conducted within the public Right-of-Way. Residents can expect to see a two-person team taking pictures and notes. They will be carrying ID and will not be stepping onto private property. If residents choose to speak with the team, please follow COVID-19 social distancing protocol.

Share information about your home or neighborhood

If you have information, photos, or documentation related to your property or other properties within the study area, the City and hmwPreservation would love to see them. If you would be willing to let the City share your pictures and stories on City social media channels, please let us know as well.

Types of things that would be helpful:

Information (names, occupations, etc) about owners or occupants - especially the first occupant and long-term occupants
Historic photos
Information about architects and builders
Dates of exterior changes to the property (additions, new garages/sheds, changes to building materials)

Please send information to jlawson@burlingtonnc.gov.

ASU Public Meeting

On November 11, 2021, there was a virtual Public meeting. Click here to view the meeting (full recording of the presentation also available to the Historic Preservation Commission on November 9, 2021). Click here to view.