{"nrhp_refnum":"83004251","name":"Portsmouth Olde Towne Historic District (Boundary Increase)","other_names":["See Also:Portsmouth Historic District"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Green and Queen Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Portsmouth (Independent City)","county":"Portsmouth","state":"VA","lat":36.83793056300004,"lon":-76.3010098538758,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-10-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Black","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-part boundary extension of the Olde Towne Historic District in Portsmouth, Virginia: Area A on North Street and Area B between London Boulevard and Queen Street. Together they hold 49 mostly late 19th- and early 20th-century residential structures plus three churches.","why_significant":"The extensions add residential neighborhoods comparable in scale and style to the original district. Area A includes Emanuel A.M.E. Church (1857), the first church built by blacks for blacks in Portsmouth and home to the oldest black congregation in southeastern Virginia. Area B adds Court Street Baptist Church (1901-03) and Monumental Methodist Church (1876), both mother churches in the Tidewater area and architectural landmarks.","narrative":"Two additions to Portsmouth's Olde Towne Historic District bring in about four blocks of modest late 19th- and early 20th-century city housing, along with three prominent churches. Area A lies west of the original district on North Street. It holds five turn-of-the-century vernacular houses traditionally occupied by black residents, and it is anchored by Emanuel A.M.E. Church, built in 1857. That church was the first in Portsmouth built by blacks for blacks, and its congregation is the oldest black congregation in southeastern Virginia. Area B stretches between London Boulevard and Queen Street, with narrow lots, double houses, detached homes and some apartment buildings, many of which once served as both residences and offices. Court Street Baptist Church (1901-03) is a Romanesque Revival landmark, and Monumental Methodist Church (1876) is Gothic Revival. Both congregations date to the late 18th century and founded other congregations in the Tidewater area. Granite curbs and brick sidewalks match the older district. Of 49 structures, three are noncontributing.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Vernacular domestic architecture with Italianate, Gothic Revival, Romanesque Revival, Queen Anne and other late 19th-century styles","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied; mostly private residences and commercial use, with 46 of 49 structures contributing and three noncontributing.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:01.009304-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/82/6825/41682582/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/83004251.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83004251/d46e8163ec-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83004251/d46e8163ec-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"JERRYE &amp; ROY KLOTZ, M.D.","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PORTSMOUTH_OLDE_TOWNE_HISTORIC_DISTRICT,_PORTSMOUTH,_VA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">JERRYE &amp;amp; ROY KLOTZ, M.D.</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:PORTSMOUTH_OLDE_TOWNE_HISTORIC_DISTRICT,_PORTSMOUTH,_VA.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"03001485","name":"Downtown Portsmouth Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/downtown-portsmouth-historic-district-03001485/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41682582","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portsmouth_Olde_Towne_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16898711"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/portsmouth/portsmouth-olde-towne-historic-district-boundary-increase-83004251/"}