Orange Commercial Historic District

Orange's downtown core grew around the county courthouse, as the town has served as county seat since 1749. The historic district covers 74 resources, mostly one- to two-story brick commercial buildings from the early twentieth century with classical or Italianate detailing. Dwellings form the next largest group, with churches and government buildings also included. No eighteenth-century buildings survive, and the oldest structures date from about the 1830s, including the Sparks Building, the Holladay House and St. Thomas' Episcopal Church. The 1859 Italian Villa courthouse, with its three-stage tower, was designed to present a modern image to travelers on the new railroad. Railroad Avenue once held much of the town's retail trade. A fire in 1908 destroyed part of the older commercial area, and later construction included Neo-Classical bank buildings of 1892 and 1925. The district was recognized for its government, commerce, transportation and architectural importance between 1749 and 1948.