John Chavis Memorial Park Amphitheater and Carousel House
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NORTH CAROLINA STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE Office of Archives and History Department of Cultural Resources NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES John Chavis Memorial Park Raleigh, Wake County, WA3867, Listed 4/19/2016 Nomination by Mary Ruffin Hanbury and Jeffery J. Harris Photographs by Mary Ruffin Hanbury, February 2014 Amphitheater and Carousel House Picnic Shelter NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin, How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions. 1. Name of Property Historic name: _John Chavis Memorial Park___________________________________ Other names/site number: _Negro Park Name of related multiple property listing: _____N/A______________________________________________________ (Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing ____________________________________________________________________________ 2. Location Street & number: 505 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard______________________________ City or town: Raleigh________ State: NC__________ County: Wake__________ Not For Publication: n/a Vicinity: n/a ____________________________________________________________________________ 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this x nomination ___ request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property ___ meets ___ does not meet the National Register Criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant at the following level(s) of significance: ___national __X_statewide ___local Applicable National Register Criteria: __X A ___B _X__C ___D Signature of certifying official/Title: Date ______________________________________________ State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register criteria. Signature of commenting official: Date Title : State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government 1 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 John Chavis Memorial Park Wake, North Carolina Name of Property County and State _____________________________________________________________________________ 4. National Park Service Certification I hereby certify that this property is: entered in the National Register determined eligible for the National Register determined not eligible for the National Register removed from the National Register other (explain:) _____________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Signature of the Keeper Date of Action ____________________________________________________________________________ 5. Classification Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply.) Private: Public – Local x x Public – State x x x Public – Federal Category of Property (Check only one box.) Building(s) District x Site Structure Object Sections 1-6 page 2 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 John Chavis Memorial Park Wake, North Carolina Name of Property County and State Number of Resources within Property (Do not include previously listed resources in the count) Contributing Noncontributing _____1_______ ______4____ buildings _____3________ ______3______ sites _____6_______ _____ 5_______ structures _____1______ ______1______ objects _____11________ ______13________ Total Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register 0 ____________________________________________________________________________ 6. Function or Use Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) LANDSCAPE: park LANDSCAPE: street furniture/object RECREATION AND CULTURE: outdoor recreation RECREATION AND CULTURE: monument/marker RECREATION AND CULTURE: sports facility TRANSPORTATION: road-related Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) LANDSCAPE: park LANDSCAPE: street furniture/object LANDSCAPE: Parking lot RECREATION AND CULTURE: outdoor recreation RECREATION AND CULTURE: monument/marker RECREATION AND CULTURE: sports facility TRANSPORTATION: road-related RECREATION AND CULTURE: work of art Sections 1-6 page 3 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 John Chavis Memorial Park Wake, North Carolina Name of Property County and State _____________________________________________________________________________ 7. Description Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions.) OTHER: rustic Materials: (enter categories from instructions.) Principal exterior materials of the property: walls: STONE, WOOD: weatherboard, BRICK roof: SYNTHETICS other: WOOD: log, STONE ________________________ Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current physical appearance and condition of the property. Describe contributing and noncontributing resources if applicable. Begin with a summary paragraph that briefly describes the general characteristics of the property, such as its location, type, style, method of construction, setting, size, and significant features. Indicate whether the property has historic integrity.) ______________________________________________________________________________ Summary Paragraph John Chavis Memorial Park is an approximately 26 1/2 acre, irregularly shaped park located in Southeast Raleigh, approximately eight-tenths of a mile southeast of the State Capitol at Union Square. It is bounded on the north, and west by single family residential development; to the east by Chavis Heights, a HOPE 6 mixed income residential development which replaced an early public housing project; and to the south by Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., an arterial road. The park has a narrow portion at the northwest, but further south the park's boundaries expand toward the east, incorporating a broader area. Chavis Way, a paved city street, bisects the northern portion then turns east and south to form the eastern boundary of the park. A paved drive from Chavis Way extends south into a paved parking area. A small stream (known variously as Garner Branch, Chavis Branch, Rocky Branch Creek, and Little Rock Creek) and paved greenway run through a wooded area along the western side of the park. Along the western side of the park are four picnic shelters, an amphitheater, the original carousel house, and two stone-faced bridges. At the northeast corner of the park is a running track bordered to the east, north, and west by mature oaks. The central portion of the park , accessed either by the northern drive and parking area or by an entrance from Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, contains a community center, playground, pool area, tennis courts, carousel, and a small parking area. At the southeast corner of the park is a baseball diamond, bordered by maple, cedar and oak trees. The park's topography Section 7 page 4 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 John Chavis Memorial Park Wake, North Carolina Name of Property County and State is generally rolling with graded areas for playing fields and parking. The stream has steep embankments on either side. Current plantings are a mix of mature trees and shrubs with more recent formal beds and planters. There is no known documentation on the plantings pre-existing the development of the park. ______________________________________________________________________________ Narrative Description The current day Chavis Park consists of six parcels as indicated on the map entitled Chavis Park Parcels. All but Parcel 2 are being nominated to the National Register. Parcel 2 was condemned by the Housing Authority of the City of Raleigh in March of 1982 and transferred to the City of Raleigh in October 1982, thus is not historically a part of the park but is added by accretion. This parcel is not part of the National Register nomination. Parcel 1 was sold to the City by the State in 1951. It had been owned under the aegis of the North Carolina Institution for the Education of the Deaf, Dumb and Blind which acquired the land in August 1902. The deed transferring the land to the city states that the City may keep the land "so long as the lands are used for public park, recreation, or amusement purposes." Should the land use change, the property will revert back to the state of North Carolina. Parcel 3 was sold to the City by the State in 1951. It had been owned under the aegis of the North Carolina Institution for the Education of the Deaf, Dumb and Blind which acquired the land in April 1897. The deed transferring the land to the city states that the City