Chapel Hill Historic District, Historic district in Chapel Hill, United States

Chapel Hill Historic District covers the central campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and surrounding residential streets, with 46 contributing buildings, 2 contributing structures and 2 contributing objects. Its buildings date from 1793 to the early 20th century and include Classical Revival and Jacobean Revival work. Among them are Old East, South Building (1798), Old West (1822), Person Hall (1797), Gerrard Hall (1822), Playmakers Theatre and the Chapel of the Cross.

The district's origins trace back to 1793 with Old East, followed by Person Hall in 1797 and South Building in 1798, marking the university's early expansion. These early structures laid the foundation for the institution's growth and development over subsequent centuries.

The district's name comes from the 1790s Chapel of the Cross, an Episcopal chapel that gave Chapel Hill its name; the building was separately listed on the National Register. The Old Well, a small Classical Revival structure on the central campus, is the university's symbol and appears on its seal. The Horace Williams House (1854) and the Old Methodist Church (1853) show how worship and teaching shared the same blocks.

The district covers the central campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill plus surrounding residential streets, so plan a route between the campus core and the neighbourhood rather than expecting one compact site. Old East, the South Building, the Old Well and the Davie Poplar stand close together on campus; the Horace Williams House and Battle Park lie beyond.

The Davie Poplar is an old tree within the district that according to legend sheltered soldiers during the Revolutionary War. This protected tree stands near the Joseph Caldwell Monument from 1858, connecting natural and human history.