Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
See link(s) below to view additional documentation.
VLR Listing Date 12/02/1969
NRHP Listing Date 02/26/1970
NRHP Reference Number 70000807; 02000531
Established in 1758, the town of Leesburg was laid out in a 60-acre grit surrounding Nicholas Minor’s tavern. It evolved into a Piedmont seat of Loudoun County with a varied assemblage of domestic, commercial, and governmental buildings spanning three centuries. Preserving a nostalgic, small-town character, the district is centered around a park-like court square containing the 1895 classical courthouse and a porticoed Greek Revival academy building, now used for county offices. Lending distinction is a collection of regional vernacular architecture, including shops, compact town houses, and three early taverns. A scattering of Victorian structures contrasts with these plainer buildings. Leesburg was first known as Georgetown, after George II, but its name was changed to honor Francis Lightfoot Lee, signer of the Declaration of Independence, who owned property nearby. The district’s thirty-six blocks are in a rough grid of largely tree-lined streets.
In 2002 the district boundary increased to take in areas containing more late 19th- and early 20th-century structures in the town to better illustrate both its development history and its variety of architectural treasures.
[VLR Listed: 12/1/2001; NRHP Listed: 5/22/2002]
2001 Boundary Increase & Update Nomination
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: April 19, 2021
