Fayette Street Historic District
Why it's listed
Fayette Street and its side streets in Martinsville, Virginia, form a 42-acre district of stores, offices, funeral homes, churches, a school and houses just west of the Henry County Courthouse. The area began as farmland and tobacco-factory sites after the railroads arrived in 1891, and nearby churches and housing drew Black tobacco workers to live there. In the early 1920s Dr. Dana O. Baldwin and his brothers started businesses on the 100 block, which encouraged commercial growth on the 200 and 300 blocks. Through the 1930s to 1950s, Black-owned funeral homes, offices, a savings and loan, churches and the Albert Harris school served a community shut out by segregation. Houses range from I-houses and shotgun forms to Foursquares, Craftsman bungalows and Colonial and Tudor Revival homes. With the 100 block largely gone, the district is what remains of the center of Martinsville's African-American community, listed for its ethnic history, commerce, education and religion, with a period of significance of 1900 to 1957.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | 1900-1957 |
|---|---|
| Styles | Late Victorian: Queen Anne; Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival; Commercial, American Foursquare, Bungalow, Craftsman; Folk Victorian; Vernacular |
| Areas of significance | Black, Commerce, Education, Religion |
| Acreage | 42 |
| Boundary source | NPS cultural-resource GIS polygon |
| Full listing page | Fayette Street Historic District (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.