Selected Individual Structures:
- Ivey-Ellington House - Ca. 1870. 135 W. Chatham St., Cary, NC. Board-and-batten Gothic Revival cottage architecture; one of only two such examples in all of Wake County. Individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- Cary Arts Center (Former Cary High School) - Est. 1896 (Current building Ca. 1939). 100 Dry Ave., Cary, NC (within the Town Center Historic District). The first public high school in North Carolina. Also known as Cary Elementary School and today known as the Cary Arts Center.
- Dr. S.P. Waldo "Waldo Rood" House - Ca. 1873. Temporarily located on Park St. awaiting a permanent home in the planned downtown Park. Originally located at 114 Waldo St., Cary, NC. The only other example (with the Ivey-Ellington House) of Gothic Revival board-and-batten architecture in all of Wake County.
- Page-Walker Hotel - Ca. 1868. 119 Ambassador Loop, Cary, NC. Built in 1868 by the town of Cary's founder, Allison Francis Page. Individually listed on the National Register for Historic Places; designated as a local Wake County Landmark and winner of the Anthemion Award. Now called the Page-Walker Arts & History Center and supported by a group of Cary citizens called the Friends of the Page-Walker Hotel.
- Lane-Bennett Place - Circa 1775. Originally located in Cary in Regency Park; moved to 7408 Ebenezer Church Rd. in Raleigh.
- Nancy Jones House - Ca. 1803. 29391 Chapel Hill Rd., Cary, NC. The oldest remaining residential structure in Cary. Individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Home of Nancy Jones, a member of one of the two Jones families who owned most of the land that is now Cary.
- James "Wiley" Jones House - Ca. 1890. 324 S. Academy St., Cary, NC (within the Town Center Historic District). Built by James "Wiley" Jones, an associate of Frank Page, Cary's founder. Purchased by the Town of Cary in 2011.
- Carpenter Farm Supply Company - Ca. 1895, 1933 Morrisville-Carpenter Road, Cary, NC (within the Carpenter Historic District). Along with the former store across the street, this property is designated as a local Wake County Landmark.
- John Pullen Hunter House - Ca. 1925. 311 South Academy Street, Cary, NC (within the Town Center Historic District). Brick bungalow home constructed in 1925 by one of Cary's prominent doctors. Includes the chicken house in the rear as a contributing structure. Designated as a local Wake County Landmark.
- Guess-Ogle House - Ca. 1830s/1900. 215 South Academy Street, Cary, NC (within the Town Center Historic District). Remodeled to current Queen Anne style around 1900; restored around 1990. Includes the garage in the rear as a contributing structure. Designated as a local Wake County Landmark.
National Register Historic Districts:
Cary has three National Register Historic Districts, each with many contributing structures (Cary also has other historical structures located outside of these districts, and some properties that are listed individually, rather than as part of a district, on the National Register of Historic Places). Cary's National Register Historic Districts are:
- Town Center Historic District - More or less bounded by S. Academy St. and S. Harrison Ave. on the east and west and Dry Ave. and Park St. on the north and south, this district includes 37 contributing structures (originally the district had 39 contributing structures, but two have been demolished)
- Green Level Historic District - In western Cary, centered on Green Level Church Rd. between Mills Rd. and Green Level West Rd., anchored by Green level Baptist Church. The district has 34 contributing structures (originally the district had 36 contributing structures but one burned and one was demolished).
- Carpenter Historic District - Anchored by the Carpenter Farm Supply stores, this district runs from the crossroads where those stores are located south along Carpenter-Upchurch Rd. and east along Morrisville-Carpenter Rd. to about the location of Carpenter Village. The district has 74 contributing structures, including many farm outbuildings (originally the district had 75 contributing structures; one farmhouse was demolished).
See also
- Historic Places in the Triangle
- Cary History
[This page includes information compiled by the Friends of the Page-Walker Hotel based on information from National Register of Historic Places documents, long-time Cary residents, historic documents and research by the Friends. A full bibliography of information used to compile the Friends' annual report to the community, What Have We Got to Lose? is available from the Friends]