National Register of Historic Places

Latta, Rev. M.L., House

Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina
Listed
May 15, 2002
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
02000502

About this property

The Rev. M. L. Latta House was a historic home located in the Oberlin neighborhood of Raleigh, North Carolina. It was the last remaining building from Latta University, a trade school for African Americans that operated from 1892 until around 1920. The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. It was destroyed by a fire in 2007. The Rev. M. L. Latta House was located at 1001 Parker Street in the freeman's settlement of Oberlin Village (now Raleigh, North Carolina). It was built as the home of Laura Bivens and Morgan London Latta, and their ten children, who lived in the house starting around 1905. Latta was a former slave who graduated from Shaw University after the Civil War. He founded Latta University, a trade school, in 1882 to educate freedmen and orphans in Raleigh's African-American community and built his house adjacent to the campus. The size and style of the Latta House reveal the wealth of Latta, significant within the early 20th century African American community of Raleigh. It was one of the largest houses in Oberlin at the time and was constructed in a fashional style. After Latta University closed amid a scandal around 1922, Latta and his wife moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by 1930. Neighbors Chesley and Berta Haywood purchased Latta House at auction in 1933. Haywood was an fireman with Norfolk and Southern Railroad. The Haywoods moved into Latta House by 1935. However, it was occupited by various renters in the 1940s. After Chesley Haywood died, Berta Haywood lived in the house from the mid-1950s through the 1970s.When Berta Haywood died, the house was sold to Adryon Clay. Later, the house was unoccupied but overseen by a caretaker. The Latta House property became a gathering place for the surrounding African American community. Over time, the Latta House was the only surviving structure on the campus of the former trade school. The Latta House Foundation was established, with plans to adapt the house as a cultural center. On January 8, 2007, a fire destroyed the house, leaving only its brick foundation. After the fire, the property's owner gave the land to the city of Raleigh for use as a park. The Rev. M. L. Latta House was built about 1905. It was a two-story Colonial Revial and Queen Anne style house with a Tuscan order wraparound porch. Constructed of clapboards, the house had a brick foundation, a slate roof, and two corbeled chimneys. The main level of the house included a central hallway, with large rooms on either side and smaller rooms in back. The front rooms were originally decorated with stenciling. The second floor featured five bedrooms.

Location

1001 Parker St.
Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina
35.79820, -78.66281

Categories

BLACKEDUCATIONARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Hall, Rev. Plummer T., House
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Turner, John T. and Mary, House
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Graves, Willis M., House
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Graves-Fields House
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0.2 mi
Oberlin Cemetery
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0.3 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Morrisville NC
1865Civil War
9.7 mi

Questions about this property

When was Latta, Rev. M.L., House listed on the National Register?

Latta, Rev. M.L., House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 15, 2002.

What type of historic resource is Latta, Rev. M.L., House?

Latta, Rev. M.L., House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Latta, Rev. M.L., House?

The period of significance for Latta, Rev. M.L., House is recorded as the industrial era.

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