Staff Report

Suffolk’s West End Historic District was among 15 Virginia resources recently entered by the National Park Service to the National Register of Historic Places.

These resources are already listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register, the state’s honorary designation of significant architectural and archaeological sites.

The West End Historic District (Boundary Expansion) in Suffolk is adjacent to the eastern boundary of the West End Historic District originally registered in September 2003.

The original district and the boundary expansion are located approximately four blocks from Washington Square, the heart of historic Suffolk’s commercial district, and depict late nineteenth and early twentieth century suburban development with residential architectural styles and forms from the period.

Properties within the expanded boundary are similar in design, architecture and appearance to those on the west side of Wellons Street included in the currently registered West End Historic District. With the addition of the boundary expansion, the visual continuity of the district is extended to encompass all of the buildings within the Wellons Street streetscape.

The boundary expansion is characterized by typical suburban hallmarks such as sidewalks, uniform building setbacks and lot sizes, and continues the grid pattern street plan of the eastern portion of the West End Historic District

Other resources entered include: the Cokesbury Church in Accomack County; Leander McCormick Observatory in Albemarle County; the Penrose Historic District in Arlington County; the Atoka Historic District and Rectortown Historic District, both in Fauquier County; the Lexington and Covington Turnpike Toll House in the City of Lexington; Janney Hill in Loudoun County; the Chandler House in Northampton County; the Goblintown Mill in Patrick County; the New Dublin Presbyterian Church in Pulaski County; Sunnyside and the Laurel Mills Historic District, both in Rappahannock County; and the Boxley-Sprinkle House and the Henry Street Historic District, both in the City of Roanoke.

The National Register of Historic Places, managed by the National Park Service, is the official list of structures, sites, objects, and districts that embody the historical and cultural foundations of the nation.

More than 60,000 historic resources of all kinds (including 700,000 contributing buildings in historic districts) are listed. The National Register of Historic Places includes more than 2,300 properties in Virginia to date.

The Virginia Landmarks Register is designed to increase awareness of the value of historic resources in the Commonwealth. Listing on the Virginia register (as with the national register) places no restrictions on the owner’s use of the property. Listing is completely honorary.

Registration is an educational act designed to identify historic resources and encourage, but not require, their preservation, according to park service officials.