Wilmington Historic District gathers 875 contributing buildings at the heart of the city in New Hanover County. The district embraces 875 contributing buildings, 38 contributing sites, and 3 contributing structures that make up the historic core and surrounding residential sections. It developed after Wilmington was laid out in 1737 and contains notable examples of Queen Anne and Bungalow/American Craftsman architecture.
Within this patchwork you can find separately listed City Hall/Thalian Hall and the Alton Lennon Federal Building and Courthouse. Nearby are houses and landmarks spanning centuries: the Smith-Anderson House (c. 1745), Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens (1771), St. John's Masonic Lodge (1803), the George Cameron House (c.
1800), and the DeRosset House (c. 1845). Nineteenth-century grandeur appears in the Bellamy Mansion (1859) and the First Baptist Church (1859–1870) designed by Samuel Sloan; you can also spot the St. James Episcopal Church (begun 1839) by Thomas U. Walter and St. Thomas Roman Catholic Church (1846).
Later layers include the Victoria Theatre (1915) and the Cape Fear Hotel (1923–1925). Picture the Bellamy Mansion, First Baptist Church, and the Victoria Theatre, names and dates etched into the buildings themselves.