City of Fairfax Historic District (Additional Documentation)
Also known as: See Also:Fairfax County Courthouse; Earp's Ordinary; 81000673
Why it's listed
Centered on the 1800 Fairfax County Courthouse, this 24-acre district in the City of Fairfax, Virginia, grew from a crossroads where Little River Turnpike met the Ox Road, now Chain Bridge Road. It contains 48 buildings: commercial blocks, four residences, local government buildings and a church complex. Thirty-two of them contribute to its character. The earliest are brick buildings from the early 1800s, including the courthouse, designed by James Wren, and Earp's Ordinary, a former inn and stagecoach stop. Most of the rest date from the early 20th century, when electric railway lines raised the county's population and the county seat expanded. Colonial Revival design runs through the period, seen in the 1900 Old Town Hall, the 1931 bank and the 1933 Truro chapel. The district is significant for its link to county government and Civil War events, and for streetscapes of two-story brick and wood buildings that keep the feel of a small Main Street town. About 75 percent of the buildings are in commercial use.
Significance in brief: The district is tied to the major events in the history of the Fairfax County seat, including the Civil War period. Its buildings show each stage of the town's growth from an 1800 courthouse and tavern crossroads to a modern city. It keeps the scale and character of an early 20th-century small "Main Street" town.
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 87001432, listed August 27, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Jct. of VA 236 and VA 123, Fairfax (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Fairfax (city and county) |
| Listed | August 27, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87001432 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1800; 1861-65; 1890-1933 |
| Architectural style | Vernacular, with Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Georgian Revival and Colonial Revival buildings |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | About 75 percent of the buildings are in commercial use. Many former houses have become offices or shops but keep their residential character. Condition is rated excellent to fair. |
| Acreage | 24 |
| Coordinates | 38.84685, -77.30680 (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 87001432.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5123678
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.