Wertland Street Historic District
Why it's listed
Wertland Street is a residential row just north of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Its roughly thirty buildings run between Tenth and Fourteenth Streets and form a cohesive streetscape of Victorian vernacular houses, with a few Federal, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival and Georgian Revival examples. The oldest is the brick Wertenbaker House of about 1830, built by William Wertenbaker, the University's second librarian, for whose family the street is named. Another early survivor, the McKennie-Miller House, was tied to the publisher of the city's first newspaper. Development as a fashionable neighborhood followed the subdivision of four large tracts in the 1880s, and more than fifteen houses stood by 1910. Large lots and standard setbacks on the north side create an orderly arrangement found nowhere else near the University. The district has changed little in about seventy years, and after decades of conversion to student apartments, many houses are being rehabilitated.
Significance in brief: The district is significant for its architectural and historical ties to Charlottesville and the University of Virginia. It began with the 1830 Wertenbaker House, home of the University's second librarian, and its development paralleled the University's growth. It holds the most undisturbed and cohesive group of Victorian vernacular houses left in Charlottesville and has changed little in about seventy years.
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) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 85000298, listed February 14, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Wertland St. between 10th and 14th Sts., Charlottesville (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Charlottesville |
| Listed | February 14, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85000298 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 and 1900- |
| Architect / builder | William Wertenbaker (builder of the Wertenbaker House, 1301 Wertland Street) |
| Architectural style | Victorian Vernacular, with Federal, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival and Georgian Revival examples |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Most houses are owner occupied or rented to University students. Many are being rehabilitated by new owners after a period of decline when large houses were divided into apartments. |
| Acreage | 47 |
| Coordinates | 38.03525, -78.49665 (NPS GIS) |
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.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 85000298.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16903069
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.