Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 06/20/1989
NRHP Listing Date 01/31/1991
NRHP Reference Number 90002165
The Montgomery County town of Blacksburg’s downtown incorporates a varied collection of historic structures chronicling the town’s evolution from 1798, when it was laid out by its namesake William Black on a sixteen-square grid, into the present century. The town is unusual for the region as it became a successful community independent of being a county seat. Although it originally flourished serving the area’s prosperous farming community, Blacksburg’s steady growth and affluence was assured when Virginia Polytechnic Institute was established here in 1872. Blacksburg has since comfortably accommodated its role as a classic college town. The large number of university students and employees has maintained the Main Street commercial area as a remarkably cohesive core for a town its size. The parallel Church Street is aptly named for its splendid progression of churches. Sprinkled through the Blacksburg Historic District is an impressive range of house types, from log structures to bungalows.
The Blacksburg Historic District was listed in the registers under the Prehistoric and Historic Resources of Montgomery County MPD.
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: June 8, 2022
