Ellis Street Historic District

Ellis Street Graded School Local Historic District

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The Ellis Street Graded School Historic District exemplifies the late-nineteenth century and early-twentieth century development of Salisbury with expansion of residential areas around the downtown area. With the growth of local industries and the 1896 establishment of Southern Railway's nearby Spencer Shops service facility, Salisbury prospered and the demand for new housing increased. Two typical patterns of residential development are exhibited in the district: individual building on large, outlying lots in the late nineteenth century and later subdividing them for speculative development, and developers acquiring large parcels of fields and woods for subdivision into grids of relatively small building lots. Queen Anne and Italianate style houses in the midst of early twentieth century period revival houses in the east end of the district and several blocks of Craftsman bungalows in the west end exemplify these patterns, respectively.

The town's growing population also created a need for schools. At the heart of this residential area is the district's namesake, Ellis Street Graded School, which is both Salisbury's oldest public educational facility and the town's first school, public or private, to utilize an institutional design, in this case a cruciform brick building in the Italianate style. The district's historic significance stems from Ellis Street Graded School's long and distinguished educational history as well as its numerous and representative examples of Italianate, Queen Anne, and period revival styles and its concentration of Craftsman bungalows. The area's period of significance begins in 1867 when the oldest surviving building, the David A. Atwell House I, was constructed and extends through 1948. With only three noncontributing primary structures, the district retains a remarkably high degree of historic integrity.

The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. It became a local district in 1997.

Source: National Register nomination form, 1998.