Portsmouth Olde Towne Historic District (Boundary Increase)

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.