{"nrhp_refnum":"05001276","name":"Gainsboro Historic District","other_names":["128-5762"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Bounded by Wells, Centre, 1st St. Bridge and Gilmer, Commonwealth, N. Jefferson and 2nd., Patton, Harrison etc.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Roanoke (Independent City)","county":"Roanoke (city and county)","state":"VA","lat":37.27499503950003,"lon":-79.94321753955776,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-11-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Commerce","Entertainment/Recreation","Health/Medicine","Black","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 73.83-acre, 33-block historic district in northeast and northwest Roanoke, Virginia, just north of the railroad tracks. It contains homes, churches, a library, a theater, a hotel and commercial buildings built mostly between 1890 and 1925.","why_significant":"The district is argued to be significant for its role as the center of Roanoke's African-American community, with associated commerce, entertainment, health care, and religion. It also contains a wide range of late 19th to mid-20th century architectural styles. It is described as one of the oldest neighborhoods in Roanoke and relatively intact despite road projects and redevelopment.","narrative":"Gainsboro is a 33-block neighborhood in Roanoke, Virginia, lying north of the railroad tracks and west of Interstate 581. It grew rapidly after 1882, when the Norfolk & Western Railway established its headquarters nearby and a subsidiary company built houses for railroad workers. Most of the district's resources date from 1865 to 1917, and the majority are two-story frame single-family homes. The housing shows Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Foursquare, Craftsman and other styles, alongside churches, a library, a theater, a hotel, medical offices and small commercial buildings. The neighborhood became the center of Roanoke's African-American community, and it includes the Henry Street commercial and entertainment area. Road projects and 1960s and 1970s redevelopment removed much of the surrounding historic fabric and weakened the commercial core, yet the street pattern and housing stock remain largely intact. The district was recognized for its connection to broad patterns of local history and for its architecture, with a period of significance running from 1834 to 1950.","period_of_significance":"1834-1950","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, American Foursquare, Craftsman/Bungalow, Prairie, Tudor Revival, Art Deco, and vernacular styles","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Retains integrity as a residential neighborhood with remnants of its commercial and institutional core; some resources are demolished, and the First Baptist Church building of 1898-1900 is listed as demolished.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:02.561879-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/99/6832/41683299/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/05001276.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001276/9f098f9318-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001276/9f098f9318-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Jerrye &amp; Roy Klotz, MD","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GAINSBORO_HISTORIC_DISTRICT,_ROANOKE_CITY.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jerrye &amp;amp; Roy Klotz, MD</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GAINSBORO_HISTORIC_DISTRICT,_ROANOKE_CITY.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"13000647","name":"Roanoke Downtown Historic District (Boundary Increase)","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/roanoke-downtown-historic-district-boundary-increase-13000647/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41683299","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gainsboro_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16891487"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/roanoke/gainsboro-historic-district-05001276/"}