Miller-Southside Residential Historic District
Also known as: DHR File No. 150-109
Why it's listed
Just south of downtown Blacksburg, this neighborhood of 138 houses and 64 garages grew up between 1909 and 1941. Large, hedged lots and shaded sidewalks line South Main Street, Draper Road and Preston Avenue. The earliest houses are frame Foursquares and a bungalow along South Main Street. During the 1920s, brick Bungalows and Foursquares became typical, many tied to local builder Wes Gray. After 1925, Colonial Revival houses dominated, and Tudor Revival houses spread through the 1930s. Virginia Polytechnic Institute architecture professor Clinton Harriman Cowgill designed at least five Colonial or Georgian Revival houses in the 1930s, plus his own Tudor Revival home on Preston Avenue, and his detailing influenced later construction. Postwar infill, including Ranch and Colonial-style houses, is counted as noncontributing. The district was recognized for its architecture as Montgomery County's largest and most complete early twentieth-century suburb.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the district is an intact early twentieth-century suburb with a varied collection of period house styles, including Bungalow, Foursquare, Colonial Revival and Tudor Revival. It is described as Montgomery County's largest and most complete suburb from 1909-1941. Architecture professor Clinton Harriman Cowgill and builder Wes Gray influenced its design.
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 90002110, listed January 11, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Miller St., S. Main St., Airport Rd. and Preston Ave., Blacksburg |
|---|---|
| County | Montgomery County |
| Listed | January 11, 1991 |
| Reference number | 90002110 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1909-1941 |
| Architect / builder | Cowgill, Clinton Harriman; Gray, Wes |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and early 20th c. American Movements: Prairie School, Bungalow, Foursquare; Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in residential use, with some South Main Street houses now used as offices or a gallery. Contains 138 houses, 30 of them noncontributing because built after 1941. |
| Acreage | 60 |
| Coordinates | 37.22406, -80.40867 (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 90002110.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14712854
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.