Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 04/22/1992
NRHP Listing Date 10/21/1992
NRHP Reference Number 92001367
The original section of the historic Fairfax Public School in the city of Fairfax was built in 1873, four years after the ratification of the new state constitution that provided for a statewide system of public schools. The school marked the commitment of Fairfax (then called Providence) to provide free public education to the community’s elementary-level children. Like many rural schools of the period, the brick building had a gable-end front and resembled a country church. The area’s growing population necessitated an expansion of the facility in 1912. The addition, which doubled the school’s size, was a perpendicular attachment to the original section. With its hipped roof and tall paired windows, the addition has the simple dignity typical of schools of the era. The Fairfax Public School building stood vacant from the 1970s, but in the 1990s it was restored to serve as the Fairfax Museum and Visitors’ Center.
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 17, 2023
