Tour Old Wilmington

To be eligible for a Historic Wilmington Foundation Plaque, a building must be over 75 years old and be located in New Hanover County. Buildings over 50 years old at Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach and Kure Beach are also eligible for a plaque.
To apply for a plaque, please contact the Foundation at 910.762.2511 receive an application.
Application Review Process
The Plaque Committee meets on the second Wednesday of each month to review plaque applications. Applications must be submitted to the Foundation office at least one week prior to the meeting. The Committee reviews applications in the order they are received, and it is common for the process to take several months.
The Research
The application is designed to lead you step-by-step through your research. If the Committee needs more information, a member contacts you and explains what information you need to gather and present before the next meeting. If you choose, you can hire someone to do the research for you. Call HWF to receive the names of architectural historians who will complete the research for you for a fee.
The Plaque Text
After the review process is complete, the Plaque Committee composes a text for your building. The Foundation will send a copy of the text to you, and you may then order your hand-painted plaque.
The Price
The price of a new plaque is $350 for members and $400 for non-members (includes a one-year, tax deductible family membership to the HWF). Call for the cost of a replacement plaque. The price of the plaque must be paid in full before the information is sent to the sign company to be painted. Buildings over 100 years old receive a black plaque and those from 75 to 100 years old receive a maroon color plaque. Historic alleys over 75 years receive green plaques. 50 year-old beach buildings receive a sea oats color plaque with black lettering. Foundation staff will call you when the plaque is ready.


A project completed in partnership with NHC Public Library