Hickerson House
The two-story historic house on Battle Lane is the home of the Center for Urban and Regional Studies. The house was built between 1915 and 1925 by Thomas Felix Hickerson, a Carolina alumnus and longtime faculty member. He deeded the house to the university in 1952, but it was not used by the university until he died in 1968. The Center for Urban and Regional Studies, created in 1957, is one of the oldest university-based research centers of its kind. Its focus is on basic and applied research on urban, regional, and rural planning and policy issues.
Hickerson taught engineering and mathematics at UNC from 1909 to 1952. He was an authority on highway engineering, producing authoritative works on road and bridge building and advising on numerous projects, including the Blue Ridge Parkway. At UNC he was one of the longest-serving trustees of the Order of the Gimghoul. He helped plan the Gimghoul Road development and oversaw the construction of the order's Gimghoul Castle.
Date Established: 1930
Date Range: 1930 – Present