Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 11/18/1980
NRHP Listing Date 07/28/1982
NRHP Reference Number 82004904
Charlottesville has been a regional political center since becoming the Albemarle County seat in 1762. In addition to its associations with Thomas Jefferson and the University of Virginia, the city is significant for the diversity of its 19th- and early-20th-century architecture. The heart of the Charlottesville and Albemarle County Courthouse Historic District is the courthouse square, containing the courthouse and several 19th-century brick offices. Also in the district is an archetypical late-19th-century main street which was made into a pedestrian mall in the 1970s. Architectural highlights are the former public library, the former post office, and a railroad station, all employing a learned classicism. Adjacent industrial buildings and several adjoining residential neighborhoods complete the district. Scattered through the Charlottesville and Albemarle County Courthouse Historic District are various Federal and Greek Revival houses. While not devoid of intrusions, the district gives Charlottesville’s downtown a strong sense of historical continuity.
Additional documentation to amend the Charlottesville and Albemarle County Courthouse Historic District nomination was submitted in 1995 to include the Confederate Memorial of Charlottesville and Albemarle County as a contributing object. This 1995 amendment is attached below to the original 1980 nomination.
[VLR Approved: 12/6/1995; NRHP Approved: 10/8/2008]
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: March 21, 2023
