Narrative Description

The Elizabeth City Historic District, an approximately thirty-block area containing 50% residential fabric and 50% commercial fabric, is bounded on the east by the Pasquotank River and on the west by post-1920 suburbs. The spine of the district is Main Street, extending through the central business district and through the neat Victorian suburbs along the Main Street extension. The most distinctive feature of the large district is a remarkable collection of commercial buildings spanning the nineteenth century, including seven antebellum commercial buildings in the Greek, Gothic, and Italianate Revival styles, and a number of well-preserved late Victorian commercial buildings. The historic county government buildings are among the most prominent landmarks in the district. Nine known antebellum houses are scattered throughout the district, and the later houses are concentrated in close groupings along W. Main Street.