Lower Basin Historic District (Boundary Increase)
The National Park Service has not published a boundary polygon for this district; the map shows the listed properties inside it and the district's reference point.
Why it's listed
Two buildings were added to Lynchburg's Lower Basin Historic District: a 1949 supermarket at 1307 Main Street and an 1896-1901 factory at 103-109 Sixth Street. The five-story Piggly Wiggly, designed by Stanhope Johnson and built by W.T. Jones Construction Company for $200,000, was developed by J.J. Anderson as the city's first self-service supermarket. It offered pre-packaged goods, cold-food cases in place of a butcher's counter, angled shelving, an in-house bakery and a snack bar. It was left out of the 1987 listing because it was then under 50 years old. The Price & Clements building, a brick Italianate-style factory on a ca. 1840 stone foundation, was built for the United Cigarette Machine Company and later housed a carriage business, a sign works, a bottling company and a machine shop. Faux-stucco that hid its character has been removed, and the Academy of Music Foundation plans to restore it. Both buildings now count as contributing to the district's commercial and warehouse character.
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 | 1800-1950 (district) |
|---|---|
| Styles | Greek Revival/Commercial Vernacular |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Industry |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Boundary source | not published |
| Full listing page | Lower Basin Historic District (Boundary Increase) (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).
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.