South Fayetteville Historic District approved, former Jefferson school excluded

Fayetteville Creates South Fayetteville Historic District, Excludes Former Jefferson School

The Fayetteville Flyer reported that the new district, which will be the city’s third of its kind, joins the Oak Grove Historic District and the Black Historic District, both of which also have local regulatory authority to protect historic properties. Unlike a designation on the National Register of Historic Places, which carries no regulatory teeth, these local districts grant the city power to oversee changes to the buildings within their borders.

A Tale of Two Districts

The story of the South Fayetteville Historic District is deeply intertwined with the Black Historic District. The effort to create the latter was launched by a nonprofit in 2023 and initially covered a wide swath of land southeast of downtown. However, after city staff conducted their research, a problem emerged: the proposed area included properties that did not have a history of Black ownership.

To address this, the city split the original proposal into two distinct districts. The Black Historic District was approved by the council in August, and the South Fayetteville Historic District followed on Thursday.

The Boundaries of a New Neighborhood

The newly minted South Fayetteville Historic District is comprised of two separate, non-contiguous areas. The largest stretches from a block north of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in the south, up to Willow Avenue on the east, an area north of the Combs Street Church of Christ on the north, and Washington Avenue on the west. The second, smaller piece of the district is located east of the intersection where College Avenue, Nelson Hackett Boulevard, and Rock Street meet, stopping just west of the Yvonne Richardson Community Center.

Fayetteville Planning Commission approves two new historic districts

City staff described the area as a racially diverse, working-class neighborhood in the early 1900s, a character that is still reflected today in its variety of blue-collar architectural styles.

The Jefferson School Exception

The most notable absentee from the new district is the former Jefferson Elementary School property. The original proposed map for the South Fayetteville district extended south to include the school, but in August, the City Council voted to exclude it at the request of its owner, the nonprofit Potter’s House.

Fayetteville Planning Commission approves proposals for two historic districts

On Thursday, Shawn Schwartzman with Potter’s House explained to the council that the nonprofit wanted the freedom to make renovations to the building without the regulatory hurdles and uncertainty that come with historic district status. He stressed that the organization was not opposed to historic preservation in general. “We’re bringing back the building’s historically community-driven use, and we are dedicated to its preservation,” Schwartzman said.

Potter’s House purchased the property from Fayetteville Public Schools for $1.865 million in 2023 and has since invested approximately $5 million in its restoration, a project funded entirely by donations. To address the council’s concerns about the building’s future, Schwartzman revealed that Potter’s House legal team is working on a deed restriction—a legally binding covenant that would ensure the property’s preservation regardless of who owns it in the future.

It’s not that I don’t trust Potter’s House, but only a legally binding document would ensure protection for the building.

Council Member Sarah Moore, who voted against the district, articulated the core of the opposition’s concern. “I appreciate the effort to volunteer a deed restriction, but I wish the document was already prepared,” she said.

Council Member Monique Jones, the other no vote, raised a different issue. A neighboring property wanted to be included in the district but could not be, as long as the Jefferson Elementary property was removed. Jones also worried about future requests, questioning whether Potter’s House might eventually want to join the district and what that would mean for its neighbors.

A Vote of Confidence

Council Member Mike Wiederkehr emphasized that the vote was about protecting all the properties within the district from demolition, not just the fate of one building. “I was comfortable with removing the Jefferson building for the time being,” he said, trusting the process and the commitment to preservation.

The council’s final vote solidified the boundaries of the South Fayetteville Historic District, a move that protects a significant portion of the city’s history.