Overview
The Town of Cary recognizes the importance of preserving the character of the historic Green Level area. At the July 10 Town Council work session, staff presented Council with a proposal for preserving the structures and views in the historic district, including potential options for realigning Green Level Church Road. Council directed staff to take the proposal and options to the community to get citizen input.
Public Input
Community Open House - Sept. 13, 2007
Crosspointe Church, 6911 Carpenter Fire Station Road
Citizen Questionnaire (PDF) (HTML)
Historic View and Options (PDF) (HTML)
Questions and Answers (PDF) (HTML)
Maps - Historic Preservation Map, Viewshed Map, Road Option 1, Road Option 2, Road Option 3 and Road Option 4
Green Level National Register Historic District
In early 1999, the Wake County Historic Preservation Commission initiated a National Register nomination for the historic Green Level community. The Town of Cary endorsed the nomination and contributed funds to the effort. On April 5, 2001, Green Level was awarded a place on the National Register of Historic Places and became a National Register Historic District. Though an honor, placement on the National Register does not come with any regulations that protect the historic structures or landscapes.
The Historic District begins at the intersection of Green Level West Road and Green Level Church Road, and then follows Green Level Church Road north for approximately 3,000 feet, with historic properties and landscapes located on both sides.
- District size: +/- 75 acres
- Contributing resources: Two stores, a church, three dwellings and assorted associated outbuildings, two farms with farm houses and associated outbuildings, and the Green Level landscape.
- Period of historical significance: Late 19th century through 1945
History of Green Level
“Located along the old stage route between Raleigh and Pittsboro, the crossroads village of Green Level has its roots in the first half of the nineteenth century. It was not until after the Civil War, however, that the community grew significantly. In the early 1870s, Green Level boasted at least seven stores, two mills, and two schools, as well as a newly founded Baptist Church and Masonic Lodge. Although the number of crossroads businesses decreased in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, probably due to the growth of nearby railroad towns, Green Level remained an important commercial center for local farmers, most of whom thrived growing bright leaf tobacco during these years. The Green Level Baptist Church building, as well as the Mills Store and most of the houses in the community, were all constructed during this prosperous period.. . . Today, Green Level is an intact example of the turn-of-the-century crossroads community with a well-preserved and representative mix of the types of commercial, residential, and social architecture that were prevalent in such communities. . . . Despite heavy suburban development nearby, very little new construction has taken place within the boundaries of the district and Green Level retains the landscape elements that distinguish it as a rural community of its era.” (National Register of Historic Places nomination, 2000, North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office)
Contact
For more information about the Green Level preservation initiative contact:
Anna Readling, AICP
Senior Planner
Town of Cary Planning Department
(919) 469-4084
anna.readling@townofcary.org