The district is centered on Main Street and includes 55 buildings in a 13-acre area bounded by Montgomery, Church, Depot and Wall streets. Important historic buildings within the district include the former Citizens Bank Building (1921), the old Post Office (1917), the former Masonic Hall (1927) and the old Haywood County Courthouse (1932). Within the district are many historic buildings which “still reflect Waynesville’s golden age of development from the nineteenth century through the 1920’s,” according to the district’s application.

Being on the National Register listing will benefit property owners within the district by enabling them to take advantage of federal and state tax incentives for historically appropriate renovation. The listing will not impose restrictions on property owners but does protect the district from federally funded projects that could harm the district’s historic character.

The Main Street District joins the Frog Level District as the Town’s second National Register Historic District. Research leading to the listing was conducted by Sybil Bowers of Bowers Southeaster Preservation and funded primarily by a federal historic preservation grant obtained by the Town of Waynesville. This project is part of the ongoing effort by the town’s Historic Preservation Commission ion to identify and protect Waynesville’s historic buildings. The commission maintains an inventory of more than 300 historic buildings in and around Waynesville, reviews projects involving historic buildings, and actively seeks grant funds to promote historic preservation.

The commission encourage those who own or reside in historic buildings to learn more about the Commission’s preservation activities, particularity the Local Historic Landmark program, which offers significant property tax breaks to the owners of designated Landmarks. For more information contact Paul Benson of the Waynesville Historic Preservation Commission at P.O. Box 100, Waynesville, N.C., 828.456.2004.