Staff report

The area of Suffolk south of Old Town was among three Virginia resources recently entered to the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service.

Known as the Third Boundary Expansion for the Suffolk Historic District, the area is comprised of the area south of Old Town and contains buildings from the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. In 1999 a boundary amendment to the Suffolk Historic District continued the district north along Main Street to encompass Old Town’s Federal-era properties.

A second amendment was added in 2002 with the addition of the East Washington Street corridor to the district’s southern boundary.

This third boundary expansion to the district is comprised of two areas, one centered on Pinner Street and Central Avenue, with the second encompassing both commercial and residential buildings on West Washington, Pine, Chestnut, and North Streets. The entire Suffolk Historic District now contains approximately 550 primary resources and has an extended period of significance through 1954.

The city of Suffolk has six historic districts which are listed in both the Virginia and national registers.

The other sites entered are the Ginter Park Terrace Historic District and the Memorial Gymnasium at the University of Virginia.

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. For more information on both register programs, please go to the DHR Web site at www.dhr.vir-ginia.gov, or call 804-367-2323.

To view the entire Virginia Landmarks Register, please go to the following document on the DHR Web site at: www.dhr.virginia.gov/pdf_files/RegisterMasterList.pdf.

The National Register of Historic Places Web site:

www.cr.nps.gov/nr/index.htm.

To view the nomination forms for these resources, and representative black and white images please go to the DHR Web site at: www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/register_cities.htm