{"nrhp_refnum":"00001123","name":"Virginville Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Main, 2nd, 1st, and Front Sts. and Chapel Dr. (Richmond Township)","address_restricted":false,"city":"Virginville","county":"Berks County","state":"PA","lat":40.521745252000045,"lon":-75.87086113023908,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2000-09-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A linear rural village historic district along Main Street (SR 143) in northern Richmond Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, comprising 101 to 102 buildings, mostly houses with outbuildings. It developed after the Berks and Lehigh Railroad arrived in 1874.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the district is an intact, cohesive example of a typical late nineteenth and early twentieth century rural Berks County village. Its buildings show Gothic Revival, Italianate, and Queen Anne influences, and the streetscape has changed little since about 1930. Individually the buildings are described as vernacular, but together they are considered significant as a district.","narrative":"Virginville is a linear village along Main Street in northern Richmond Township, Berks County, where most of the 101 buildings stand close to the roadway. The village grew after the Berks and Lehigh Railroad reached it in 1874, and most of its houses were built between 1885 and 1910 by local builders, including Francis Dreibelbis and carpenter Seth Heinly. The houses are mostly brick or frame, two and a half stories, and show Gothic Revival, Italianate, and Queen Anne details in their cross gables and window trim. The Virginville Hotel, built in 1885, is a three-story late-Victorian building, and the 1921 Balthaser's Garage and the Creamery also remain. The district is regarded as a well-preserved example of a rural Berks County village, with little construction after about 1930. Its streetscape still reflects how the village looked during its growth from 1874 to about 1930.","period_of_significance":"1874-c.1930","architect_builder":"Dreibelbis, Francis; Heinly, Seth","architectural_style":"Late Victorian: Gothic Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Second Empire; Late 19th and 20th Century: Colonial Revival; American Four Square","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"The houses are described as in good or excellent condition, with most original features retained apart from some roof and siding replacements.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:37.606561-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/00001123.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00001123/7e52674a0e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00001123/7e52674a0e-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Virginville_Hotel_BerksCo_PA.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Virginville_Hotel_BerksCo_PA.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71997992","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginville,_Pennsylvania","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7934772"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/berks-county/virginville-historic-district-00001123/"}