Historic Oakwood Neighborhood Raleigh NC

Dozens of neighborhoods existed in Raleigh during the 19^th Century, but only one remains today: Historic Oakwood. During the 1800s Historic Oakwood wasn’t historic it was just Oakwood. It was also home to the most prominent members of Raleigh’s society. The name Oakwood was adopted from the 102 acre Oakwood Cemetery (701 Oakwood Avenue) which it boarders. With the rise of the automobile during the post World War 2 era many families moved away from Oakwood. The estates became boarding and apartment houses. Their continued use in this manor is credited for their preservation but also attributed to their decline. In the early 70s the neighborhood was slated for urban renewal, but the revitalization of a couple homes sparked the imagination of the neighborhood.  Oakwood would become Historic Oakwood in 1974 and the neighborhood would thrive once more. A drive through this, now popular tourist attraction, will reveal the architectural proclivities of both the original owners and the decade in which the house was built. The architecture evolves along a time line from Greek Temple to French Colonial to English Victorian and back to Greek and Roman symmetry. Today Historic Oakwood bleeds into both the Oakwood and Oakdale neighborhoods. Its general boundaries are from Franklin St north to Edenton St south and from Person St west to Watauga St east. If you’d like to take a tour of these gems you’re in luck. The neighborhood association host several yearly tours. If you’d like to own one of these gems your in luck there too. Give me a call and I’d be more than happy to assist you in your dream of owning a piece of Raleigh’s history.