Winchester Historic District

Winchester's historic district spans about forty-five city blocks, mixing commercial streets and residential neighborhoods on a gridiron plan whose core follows the city limits set by the additions of 1758 and 1759. A four-block pedestrian mall along Loudoun Street forms its center, lined with brick buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many with modernized fronts. Court Square holds the Greek Revival Frederick County Courthouse of 1840, attributed to Robert Cary Long. Farther out, Washington and Fairmont streets contain large architect-designed houses dating mostly from 1870 to 1910, while the south side has stone, log and frame worker housing. Churches, schools, fire halls and the Handley Library add civic landmarks. The district displays virtually every 19th-century style, from Late Georgian and Federal to Queen Anne and Colonial Revival. Twentieth-century changes, such as parking lots, signs and modern infill, have affected the downtown, yet the district still conveys its historic development.