Pearisburg Historic District
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
Pearisburg's historic downtown clusters nineteen buildings around the Public Square, where Main Street meets Wenonah Avenue in the Giles County seat. The town was platted in 1806 on land donated by George Pearis, and the district's oldest building is the brick Western Hotel, built in 1827 by Guy D. French. The 1836 courthouse, built by Thomas Mercer, also survives. Most other buildings date from 1900 to 1942 and include banks, offices, a hospital conversion, a car dealership, mixed-use blocks with apartments, a stone-faced Episcopal church, a Colonial Revival sheriff's office and jail, and an Art Deco theater with its original marquee. The district was listed for its role in local commerce and county government and for its range of architectural styles. Storefronts have been altered, but the streetscape has no gaps from demolition, and the wrought iron fence around the Public Square remains.
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 | 1806-1842 |
|---|---|
| Styles | Federal, Romanesque, Craftsman, Colonial Revival, Art Deco |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Acreage | 4 |
| Boundary source | not published |
| Full listing page | Pearisburg 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.