The
most intact two-story Italianate house is the former Methodist
Parsonage, built ca. 1886. This single-pile, gable-roofed house has a
narrow, projecting, gable-roofed bay centered in the front elevation and
a full-width porch with paired, chamfered posts. Both the porch and the
main cornices are bracketed. Like the Friedeman House, the main
entrance has a shouldered surround, only with tabernacle instead of
octagonal sidelight panels. The basic form of a single-pile house with a
projecting, gabled bay and a full-width, one-story porch is
recognizable in spite of alterations in the S.B. Bundy House, the
Heath-Williamson-Neal House, the former Baptist Parsonage and several
other houses.
Two other Italianate houses in the district which are not of this form are the Payne-Vann-Hamilton House on South Washington Street, and the Bruner-Coble House next door. The Payne-Vann-Hamilton House has an L-shaped plan with a small, chamfered-posted porch in the intersection and scalloped vergeboards over the bracketed eaves. The slightly later Bruner-Coble House also has an L-plan, but with a larger, chamfered-posted front porch and a south side porch, both ornamented with lacy scroll-sawn brackets.
Scattered around the district are a fair number of small houses constructed in an eclectic Victorian style, often characterized by overlays of scroll-sawn ornament or Eastlake style detailing. On w. Jefferson Street is the J.W. Townsend House and on South Washington the Isaac B. Bourne House. The McKenzie-Sikes House on S. Church Street is typical of the Eastlake-influenced cottages with their gabled window pediments. Although somewhat altered, the F.B. Ashcraft House is the sole surviving second Empire style dwelling in the district.
The best example of Queen Anne design surviving in the district is the Gaston Meares House at 110 S. College. Typical of the style, it has a picturesque massing composed of a high, hipped roof with multiple gables, a round corner tower and a u-shaped porch richly ornamented with turned posts, spindle screens and pendants. Other large examples include the Thomas J. Shannon House on West Franklin Street, and the Dr. B. C. Redfearn House on West Franklin. A host of smaller Queen Anne houses, like the richly-ornamented E. D. Worley House on South Church, and the Houston House on W. Washington Street, with its jerkin-headed gables, the J. E. Efird House on south Crawford Street and the two rental houses built by Randolph Redfearn at 603 and 605 West Franklin Street are scattered throughout the district.
Many turn-of-the-century dwellings in the district were constructed in a transitional Late Queen Anne style that combines Queen Anne massing with classical detailing. Perhaps the best of these is the Dr. George B. Nance House on East Houston Street, which has an octagonal corner tower and multiple gables combined with a Tuscan-columned wrap-around front porch. Another large example is the Flemish bond brick N.W. Tharp House on West Franklin Street. Small houses were also built in this transitional mode, such as 304 Charles Street. Houses of both this and subsequent periods in the district in many cases have notable glazing, including stained, beveled, leaded, cut and textured glass used in transoms and sidelights.
Most of the many houses constructed in the district during the first fifteen years of the century partake to some degree in the Classical Revival. This includes new dwellings as well as many remodelings and overbuildings of earlier houses. At one end of the scale are the many Classical Revival cottages, with high-hipped roofs and multiple gables, fronted by Tuscan-columned porches. The E.C. Carpenter House on E. Talleyrand and 302 Charles Street are two good examples of this popular house form. Two-story Classical Revival houses are also dotted throughout the district, such as the William E. Cason House on South Main, the Lockhart-Tucker-Mahoney House on S. Hayne, and the W.A. Lane and Ramsay-Fairley houses on south Washington Street. These houses in general have a picturesque or freely-arranged plan with plentiful, often carefully-detailed classical ornament. On a grander scale, and more symmetrically-arranged, is the W.S. Blakeney House on East Franklin street, which presides over substantial grounds.
At still another level are small-scale versions of the full-blown Neoclassical Revival house, which state their pretensions through the use of colossal columns, though generally limited to two each. Representative of this type of dwelling are the Snyder-Beasley House on South Hayne, the M. Gordon House on S. College and the J.B. Copple House on East Talleyrand Street.
The district also contains an unusual number of large, Neo-classical Revival residences built between 1900 and 1915. Largest and most thoroughly articulated of these is the Dr. J.M. Belk House at 401 S. Hayne, but there are also the J.H. Lee House on South Church and the Charles Iceman and N.G. Russell Houses on west Franklin Street, all with four-column colossal porticos. Most unique of the set is the Houston-Redfern House on S. Church Street, an overbuilt Italianate house whose colossal portico is topped by segmented domes and sheetmetal urns.
Co-extant with the Classical Revival in Monroe was the Colonial Revival-in some early cases it is a moot question as to whether the designer's intent was to capture the details of early American architecture or simply confused the Georgian, Federal and Greek Revival styles with more direct classicism. Consciously "colonial" is the frame, gambrel-roofed West-Funderburk House on South Church Street. A decade later, numerous brick-veneered, boxy, two-story Colonial Revival houses were erected, such as the Efird House II on Lancaster Avenue, the Neil M. Redfern House on S. Washington, and the Dr. Ed J. Williams House on Lancaster Avenue.
There are quantities of bungalows or bungaloid houses located in the district, particularly in the east section, built from about 1913 through the 1930s. Most of these are in the craftsman style, or show craftsman influence in the use of exposed rafter tails and triangular braces, three over one or four over one novelty sash, wood shingling and pyramidal porch columns. While most are relatively modest in scale and detailing, there are also a number of well-detailed bungalows. On west Franklin Street are the Maroun House, a jerkin-headed "English cottage" and the stone and shingle W.C. Stack House. On S. Church Street is the Allen Heath House, with jerkin-headed gables and dormers and the Samuel Howie House, whose cross-gable roof is supported at the front by battered brick columns with tan brick capitals and which has a notable craftsman style interior. Among the non-bungalow craftsman style houses are the near-twin R.E. Heath and Gilmer Clontz Houses on Everett Street.
A sole, but striking example of the Spanish Mission Revival is the two-story, brick, M.G. Sheppard House with its pent roofs of metal Spanish tile.
During the late 1920s and the 1930s, the Tudor Revival style was employed for several houses in the district. Most notable of these is the George B. McClellan House on west Franklin Street, though the F.M. Morgan House on S. Hayne and a number of smaller residences show Tudor Revival influence.
At the southeast corner of the district is the Monroe cemetery, the earliest portions of which are included within the district boundaries.
The oldest burials, with stones dating from the 1850s, are located in the northeast corner of the cemetery, where the headstones are irregularly-grouped and there are a number of large trees. Later portions of the cemetery are divided by roads into large rectangles, which are further subdivided into standardized family plots surrounded by granite curbs.
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Two other Italianate houses in the district which are not of this form are the Payne-Vann-Hamilton House on South Washington Street, and the Bruner-Coble House next door. The Payne-Vann-Hamilton House has an L-shaped plan with a small, chamfered-posted porch in the intersection and scalloped vergeboards over the bracketed eaves. The slightly later Bruner-Coble House also has an L-plan, but with a larger, chamfered-posted front porch and a south side porch, both ornamented with lacy scroll-sawn brackets.
Scattered around the district are a fair number of small houses constructed in an eclectic Victorian style, often characterized by overlays of scroll-sawn ornament or Eastlake style detailing. On w. Jefferson Street is the J.W. Townsend House and on South Washington the Isaac B. Bourne House. The McKenzie-Sikes House on S. Church Street is typical of the Eastlake-influenced cottages with their gabled window pediments. Although somewhat altered, the F.B. Ashcraft House is the sole surviving second Empire style dwelling in the district.
The best example of Queen Anne design surviving in the district is the Gaston Meares House at 110 S. College. Typical of the style, it has a picturesque massing composed of a high, hipped roof with multiple gables, a round corner tower and a u-shaped porch richly ornamented with turned posts, spindle screens and pendants. Other large examples include the Thomas J. Shannon House on West Franklin Street, and the Dr. B. C. Redfearn House on West Franklin. A host of smaller Queen Anne houses, like the richly-ornamented E. D. Worley House on South Church, and the Houston House on W. Washington Street, with its jerkin-headed gables, the J. E. Efird House on south Crawford Street and the two rental houses built by Randolph Redfearn at 603 and 605 West Franklin Street are scattered throughout the district.
Many turn-of-the-century dwellings in the district were constructed in a transitional Late Queen Anne style that combines Queen Anne massing with classical detailing. Perhaps the best of these is the Dr. George B. Nance House on East Houston Street, which has an octagonal corner tower and multiple gables combined with a Tuscan-columned wrap-around front porch. Another large example is the Flemish bond brick N.W. Tharp House on West Franklin Street. Small houses were also built in this transitional mode, such as 304 Charles Street. Houses of both this and subsequent periods in the district in many cases have notable glazing, including stained, beveled, leaded, cut and textured glass used in transoms and sidelights.
Most of the many houses constructed in the district during the first fifteen years of the century partake to some degree in the Classical Revival. This includes new dwellings as well as many remodelings and overbuildings of earlier houses. At one end of the scale are the many Classical Revival cottages, with high-hipped roofs and multiple gables, fronted by Tuscan-columned porches. The E.C. Carpenter House on E. Talleyrand and 302 Charles Street are two good examples of this popular house form. Two-story Classical Revival houses are also dotted throughout the district, such as the William E. Cason House on South Main, the Lockhart-Tucker-Mahoney House on S. Hayne, and the W.A. Lane and Ramsay-Fairley houses on south Washington Street. These houses in general have a picturesque or freely-arranged plan with plentiful, often carefully-detailed classical ornament. On a grander scale, and more symmetrically-arranged, is the W.S. Blakeney House on East Franklin street, which presides over substantial grounds.
At still another level are small-scale versions of the full-blown Neoclassical Revival house, which state their pretensions through the use of colossal columns, though generally limited to two each. Representative of this type of dwelling are the Snyder-Beasley House on South Hayne, the M. Gordon House on S. College and the J.B. Copple House on East Talleyrand Street.
The district also contains an unusual number of large, Neo-classical Revival residences built between 1900 and 1915. Largest and most thoroughly articulated of these is the Dr. J.M. Belk House at 401 S. Hayne, but there are also the J.H. Lee House on South Church and the Charles Iceman and N.G. Russell Houses on west Franklin Street, all with four-column colossal porticos. Most unique of the set is the Houston-Redfern House on S. Church Street, an overbuilt Italianate house whose colossal portico is topped by segmented domes and sheetmetal urns.
Co-extant with the Classical Revival in Monroe was the Colonial Revival-in some early cases it is a moot question as to whether the designer's intent was to capture the details of early American architecture or simply confused the Georgian, Federal and Greek Revival styles with more direct classicism. Consciously "colonial" is the frame, gambrel-roofed West-Funderburk House on South Church Street. A decade later, numerous brick-veneered, boxy, two-story Colonial Revival houses were erected, such as the Efird House II on Lancaster Avenue, the Neil M. Redfern House on S. Washington, and the Dr. Ed J. Williams House on Lancaster Avenue.
There are quantities of bungalows or bungaloid houses located in the district, particularly in the east section, built from about 1913 through the 1930s. Most of these are in the craftsman style, or show craftsman influence in the use of exposed rafter tails and triangular braces, three over one or four over one novelty sash, wood shingling and pyramidal porch columns. While most are relatively modest in scale and detailing, there are also a number of well-detailed bungalows. On west Franklin Street are the Maroun House, a jerkin-headed "English cottage" and the stone and shingle W.C. Stack House. On S. Church Street is the Allen Heath House, with jerkin-headed gables and dormers and the Samuel Howie House, whose cross-gable roof is supported at the front by battered brick columns with tan brick capitals and which has a notable craftsman style interior. Among the non-bungalow craftsman style houses are the near-twin R.E. Heath and Gilmer Clontz Houses on Everett Street.
A sole, but striking example of the Spanish Mission Revival is the two-story, brick, M.G. Sheppard House with its pent roofs of metal Spanish tile.
During the late 1920s and the 1930s, the Tudor Revival style was employed for several houses in the district. Most notable of these is the George B. McClellan House on west Franklin Street, though the F.M. Morgan House on S. Hayne and a number of smaller residences show Tudor Revival influence.
At the southeast corner of the district is the Monroe cemetery, the earliest portions of which are included within the district boundaries.
The oldest burials, with stones dating from the 1850s, are located in the northeast corner of the cemetery, where the headstones are irregularly-grouped and there are a number of large trees. Later portions of the cemetery are divided by roads into large rectangles, which are further subdivided into standardized family plots surrounded by granite curbs.
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