Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 06/16/2022
NRHP Listing Date 08/30/2022
NRHP Reference Number SG100008084
L & J Gardens Neighborhood Historic District is significant as a mid-20th-century residential area in what was then Princess Anne County (now the City of Virginia Beach) that was planned by Black owner-developers and was built primarily by African American contractors and builders. Located at the western edge of Virginia Beach and bounded on one side by the City of Norfolk, the approximately 76-acre subdivision, when it was platted, was intended to provide affordable, well-built homes for Black residents who faced limited housing options in the region at the time due to existing racial segregation and unfair housing practices. The original buyers in L & J Gardens were successful, middle-class professionals with strong associations with the Black community in Norfolk. In a period when other Black communities did not have paved streets or city services, L & J Gardens was a unique example of a newly-constructed community for African Americans with utility services and hard-surfaced roads. The L&J Neighborhood Historic District area retains a high level of overall integrity. The boundaries and street layout have not been altered since 1961 and the neighborhood retains the setting and feeling of a mid-20th-century community.
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: September 6, 2022
