Overview
The 2021 Northeast Community Plan and 2022 Historic Preservation Plan both included action items for the Town of Wake Forest to explore establishing a historic district in the Northeast Community. The Town of Wake Forest has worked with the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office to create the boundaries for a historic district that is concentrated around the historic core of the neighborhood. The goal of this project is to formally list the East End Historic District in the National Register of Historic Places.
Background
In recognition of the historic significance of the Northeast Community, the Town of Wake Forest applied to the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office to add the East End Historic District to the North Carolina Study List. The NC Study List is the first step in the National Register listing process. The National Register of Historic Places is the honor roll of the country's historically significant places. The National Register includes buildings, structures, objects, and districts significant to our history. The East End Historic District was added to the NC Study List on June 11, 2026.
Next Steps
The Town of Wake Forest will be conducting outreach to determine if there is an interest from property owners in the district and residents in the Northeast Community to apply for official listing in the National Register of Historic Places. If property owners are in favor of listing in the National Register of Historic Places, the Town of Wake Forest will complete the National Register nomination to move the project forward. The FAQ section below provides additional information about the NC Study List and National Register of Historic Places.
FAQs
The NC Study List is the required first step towards National Register of Historic Places (commonly referred to as the National Register) listing in North Carolina. Approval for inclusion in the Study List means that the property or district is potentially eligible for listing in the National Register. In recognition of the historic significance of the Northeast Community, the Town of Wake Forest applied to the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office to add the East End Historic District to the North Carolina Study List based on feedback received during the Northeast Community Plan Update adopted in 2021 and the Historic Preservation Plan adopted in 2022.
The National Register of Historic Places is the nation's official list of buildings, structures, objects, sites, and districts determined significant in American history, architecture, archaeology, and culture. The National Register was established by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. The purpose of the Act is to ensure that properties significant in national, state, and local history are considered in the planning of federally funded projects, and to encourage historic preservation initiatives by state and local governments and the private sector.
For a property to be considered historic, generally it must be at least 50 years old and meet the National Register Criteria for its association with important events, people, architecture, or archaeology and have sufficient architectural integrity.
Inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places is mostly an honor. It does provide some protection if a federal, state, or local project is planned in the historic district. Government agencies are required to consider historic properties when planning projects and if possible, avoid or minimize any impact to historic properties. There are also tax incentives for property owners who complete historic preservation projects that meet the rehabilitation standards and are approved by the SHPO (https://www.hpo.nc.gov/restoration-services/rehabilitation-tax-credit-programs).
There is no additional historic preservation review for repairs and renovations for properties in the NC Study List or in the National Register of Historic Places unless you are using federal or state funding. All applicable building permits are still required to ensure the renovations meet NC Building Code and the Wake Forest Unified Development Ordinance.
Yes, in the Town of Wake Forest under the Demolition of Historic Structures Ordinance, properties in the NC Study List, Town Historic Inventory, and National Register of Historic Places must be reviewed by the Historic Preservation Commission before demolition can be approved. It is important to note that the Historic Preservation Commission can decide the following: approve the demolition, approve the demolition with conditions, or delay demolition for up to 365 days, but they cannot deny demolition under NC General Statute. The purpose of the delay is to seek an alternative to the demolition and try to save a historic building.
The Town of Wake Forest Historic Preservation staff will hold a public information meeting in Fall/Winter 2026 to provide information and answer any questions and release a survey to residents in order to determine if there is support for the historic district. If there is neighborhood support for the historic district, the Town will submit a National Register Nomination for the historic district to the State Historic Preservation Office for approval by the National Register Advisory Committee (NRAC) and finally the National Park Service (NPS).
There are several ways you can let us know that you do not want to be included in the historic district. Future surveys will ask if you support or object to the historic district or you can contact Historic Preservation staff.
The following websites provide additional information:
National Park Service https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/index.htm
North Carolina Historic Preservation Office https://www.hpo.nc.gov/survey-and-national-register/national-register-historic-places
Town of Wake Forest Historic Preservation https://www.wakeforestnc.gov/planning/long-range-planning/historic-preservation
Michelle Michael (Senior Planner- Historic Preservation) or Paige Regna (Planner I- Historic Preservation) are happy to answer any questions about the historic district. Please see the email addresses and phone numbers for staff in the sidebar.