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Two iconic Fountain Inn homes will now be recognized for their historic significance after each of the downtown residences was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The privately owned homes, known as the McDowell House at 500 N. Main St., and the F.W. Welborn House at 405 N. Weston St., were added to the registry for their local history and the significance of their Craftsman-style architecture.

Donna Brown and her husband, Rodney, purchased the Welborn house in 2005 with the intent to sell the house.

Then she fell in love with it.

“We just bought it because it was a good deal and we were going to flip it,” Brown said. “Then I got very, very attached. I couldn’t sell it and I needed to move into it.”

Brown liked the original trimwork and window seats, the fireplaces, hardwood floors and a 5 foot pocket door inside the house.

It’s known as the “eyebrow” house for its distinctive eyebrow curve in the facade’s front eave and was listed on the register because it is an “excellent example of a Craftsman-influenced house,” according to the National Register.

It was built in 1914 by F.W. Welborn and moved to its current lot from the corner lot next door in 1925.

Brown said she’s lived in historic homes in both Greenville and Charleston and had a goal for years to own a home that’s on the National Register.

They’ve made some renovations, moving the kitchen back to its original location near the front of the house and adding a staircase to make use of 800 square feet of attic living space.

“We kept everything that we could,” Brown said.

Councilman Matthew King and his wife, Anna, bought the McDowell House in August 2008 because they both were fond of the Craftsman style period of architecture.

When they purchased, they knew the house’s age and quality of historic characteristics might allow it to qualify for the National Register, Matthew King said, but since the couple works in architecture, they recognized the historic value of the house.

King said they wanted to preserve the home’s charm and they were proud of its characteristics, like its large windows, oversized front porch, high ceilings and wooden floors that make it warm and inviting.