{"nrhp_refnum":"06000805","name":"East Church Street-Starling Avenue Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Brown St., E. Church St., Cleveland Ave., Letcher Court, Market St. E, Scuffle Hill, Starling Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Martinsville (Independent City)","county":"Martinsville","state":"VA","lat":36.68485267900007,"lon":-79.86685029689065,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2006-09-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Community Planning and Development"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 54-acre, 14-block residential historic district in Martinsville, Virginia, just east of downtown, centered on East Church Street and Starling Avenue and including Brown Street, Cleveland Avenue, Letcher Court and Scuffle Hill. Its buildings date from the mid-1880s to the mid-1950s.","why_significant":"The district is nominated under Criteria A and C for its role in Martinsville's growth as the residential neighborhood moved east, and for its intact collection of early 20th-century architectural styles. Most houses were built by leading local citizens and businessmen, mainly between 1918 and 1945, and they retain a high level of integrity.","narrative":"East of Martinsville's historic downtown, this 54-acre neighborhood spreads along East Church Street and Starling Avenue and several side streets. It holds 143 resources, mostly single-family houses built between the mid-1880s and the mid-1950s, along with a church, a school, a commercial building and a small post office. Three buildings are individually listed: the John W. Carter House, Scuffle Hill and the Little Post Office. About 70 percent of the buildings went up between the world wars, when the growing city pushed its residential area eastward and prominent businessmen built large, well-designed homes. The styles range from Queen Anne and Gothic Revival to Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, Craftsman and the unusual Exotic Revival \"Wedding Cake House\" of 1918. Brick and wood are the main materials, with stone, copper and slate in the detailing. The district retains a high level of integrity, though conversions of some houses to offices have brought parking lots into former front yards.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"George Franklin Barber (John W. Carter House); John B. Anglin (Little Post Office); Captain \"Til\" Lester (G.T. Lester House); Raymond W. Long (gymnasium)","architectural_style":"Queen Anne, Gothic Revival, Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, Exotic Revival, Craftsman/Bungalow, Folk Victorian","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Buildings are generally in relatively good condition with high integrity; some houses have been converted to offices, and front yards have been paved for parking.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:02.826941-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/68/6818/41681868/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/06000805.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/06000805/43d1047ef7-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/06000805/43d1047ef7-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Church_near_Starling,_Martinsville.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Church_near_Starling,_Martinsville.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41681868","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Church_Street%E2%80%93Starling_Avenue_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16890801"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/martinsville/east-church-street-starling-avenue-historic-district-06000805/"}