Oct 30, 1997
National Register of Historic Places - Raleigh Electric Company Power House
Statement of Significance: Constructed ca 1910, the (former) Raleigh Electric Company Power House is locally significant under criterion A as an extremely rare surviving example of an early twentieth-century industrial facility which provided electrical power to the capital city of Raleigh, North Carolina. The history of the Raleigh Electric Company power plant very nearly parallels the rise of the electric power industry in Raleigh, beginning with electric-powered streetcars placed in service in 1891. As the street railway expanded service areas and reliability, managers of the street railway sought additional customers for electrical service. When the Raleigh Street Railway was forced into receivership in 1894, the company assets, titles, and franchises transferred to the Raleigh Electric Company and later the Electric Bond & Share Company. In 1908, the Cape Fear Company, Consumers Light and Power of Sanford-Jonesboro, and the Raleigh Electric Company combined to form Carolina Power & Light (CP & L). The Power House with coal-fired, steam-driven turbines was constructed in ca 1910 to power Raleigh's electric street car system. as well as to augment power supplies during periods of low flow from hydropower operations at the Buckhorn Falls plant. The Power House is significant on the local level to both CP & L and to the residents of Raleigh for the reliable and continuous provision of electric power, as well as for ushering in the modern, electrically based industrial era. The Power House is typical of other industrial buildings of the era in its design and siting. Architecturally, its triparty arrangement with a gable-front roof and structural steel framing system faced with common bond brick reflects typical industrial design of the era. Its siting also reflects the commonly held principles of the day regarding steam plant location theories and steam generation requirements. Its useful life as a steam plant likely ended in 1930 when the boiler house was replaced with a file storage area. As the boiler house would have been necessary to generate steam to drive the turbines, the removal of the boilers signals an end to power generation at the plant. Also around this time, a gradual replacement of the electric trolley system was initiated with gasoline- powered buses, reducing the need to generate electricity for the streetcar system. The power equipment was removed and the building was converted into its present use as storage and office space for CP & L personnel.
National Register of Historic Places - Raleigh Electric Company Power House
Statement of Significance: Constructed ca 1910, the (former) Raleigh Electric Company Power House is locally significant under criterion A as an extremely rare surviving example of an early twentieth-century industrial facility which provided electrical power to the capital city of Raleigh, North Carolina. The history of the Raleigh Electric Company power plant very nearly parallels the rise of the electric power industry in Raleigh, beginning with electric-powered streetcars placed in service in 1891. As the street railway expanded service areas and reliability, managers of the street railway sought additional customers for electrical service. When the Raleigh Street Railway was forced into receivership in 1894, the company assets, titles, and franchises transferred to the Raleigh Electric Company and later the Electric Bond & Share Company. In 1908, the Cape Fear Company, Consumers Light and Power of Sanford-Jonesboro, and the Raleigh Electric Company combined to form Carolina Power & Light (CP & L). The Power House with coal-fired, steam-driven turbines was constructed in ca 1910 to power Raleigh's electric street car system. as well as to augment power supplies during periods of low flow from hydropower operations at the Buckhorn Falls plant. The Power House is significant on the local level to both CP & L and to the residents of Raleigh for the reliable and continuous provision of electric power, as well as for ushering in the modern, electrically based industrial era. The Power House is typical of other industrial buildings of the era in its design and siting. Architecturally, its triparty arrangement with a gable-front roof and structural steel framing system faced with common bond brick reflects typical industrial design of the era. Its siting also reflects the commonly held principles of the day regarding steam plant location theories and steam generation requirements. Its useful life as a steam plant likely ended in 1930 when the boiler house was replaced with a file storage area. As the boiler house would have been necessary to generate steam to drive the turbines, the removal of the boilers signals an end to power generation at the plant. Also around this time, a gradual replacement of the electric trolley system was initiated with gasoline- powered buses, reducing the need to generate electricity for the streetcar system. The power equipment was removed and the building was converted into its present use as storage and office space for CP & L personnel.
Oct 30, 1997
Posted Date
Sep 04, 2023
Historical Record Date
Oct 30, 1997
Source Name
National Register of Historic Places
