Herndon Historic District
Also known as: DHR File No. 235-3; See Also: Herndon Depot
Why it's listed
Herndon Historic District covers about 115 acres of level ground in western Fairfax County, Virginia, including the downtown commercial area and nearby neighborhoods. The town grew from a mid-nineteenth-century mill, and by 1859 a railroad passed through, with a commercial core forming around the depot. The district holds 239 resources built between 1855 and 1940, most between 1890 and 1920. More than 80 percent of the contributing buildings are houses and their outbuildings, mostly frame with weatherboard siding. Styles include vernacular I-houses, Queen Anne, American Foursquare, Bungalow and Colonial Revival, along with several Sears and Roebuck kit houses. The downtown is mostly brick buildings erected after a 1917 fire that destroyed nearly twenty structures. The 1855 board-and-batten depot, already listed separately, is the focal point beside the 1939 Colonial Revival Town Hall. The district was recognized for its transportation history and its architecture, at the local level of significance.
Significance in brief: The district is nominated for its association with transportation, tied to the railroad that reached Herndon by 1859 and drew a commercial core around the depot, and for its architecture. It preserves a largely intact small-town collection of houses, commercial buildings, churches and outbuildings, mostly built between 1890 and 1920.
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 90002121, listed January 11, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Locust, Spring, Pearl, Monroe, Station and Vine Sts., Herndon |
|---|---|
| County | Fairfax (city and county) |
| Listed | January 11, 1991 |
| Reference number | 90002121 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1855-1940 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian/Queen Anne; Bungalow and American Foursquare; Colonial Revival; mixed |
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Most buildings are described as in good to excellent condition; some historic resources face development pressure or neglect, and two feed/grain warehouses and the gas generating building are noted as vacant. |
| Acreage | 115 |
| Coordinates | 38.96902, -77.38769 (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 90002121.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14712524
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.