Chesterfield Heights Historic District
Also known as: 122-1201
Why it's listed
Chesterfield Heights is a small residential neighborhood on the Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River in Norfolk, Virginia. It was platted in 1904 as a suburb for upper-class buyers, with a slightly irregular grid of tree-lined streets, a waterfront boulevard and a small park. The district also takes in Riverside, a late-19th-century area that was absorbed by 1920. Early development included large Queen Anne and Colonial Revival houses, with at least 100 dwellings built between 1904 and 1914. World War I brought an influx of port workers and a second building phase, with about 235 buildings erected between 1915 and 1941, many of them smaller Colonial Revival houses, Craftsman-style bungalows and American Foursquares. The district counts 326 properties, including 308 single dwellings, ten multiple dwellings, two commercial buildings, four churches, a park with a monument and a shipyard. Although some houses have altered materials, the neighborhood retains its overall integrity and its record of suburban growth in early 20th-century Norfolk.
Significance in brief: The available text describes a cohesive early 20th-century suburb, planned as an upper-class waterfront neighborhood and later expanded for middle-class and wartime workers. It holds Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Craftsman/Bungalow and Foursquare houses that show changing tastes between 1904 and 1950. The Section 8 significance statement and criteria are not in the excerpt provided.
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 03000443, listed June 10, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by the E Branch of Elizabeth R, Ballentine Blvd., Sedgewick St. and I-264, Norfolk (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Norfolk |
| Listed | June 10, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03000443 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian/Queen Anne and Italianate; Late 19th & 20th Century Revivals/Colonial Revival; Bungalow/Craftsman; Modern Movement/Art Deco; Other/Commercial |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Largely residential and still in domestic use. Many dwellings have altered materials, but overall integrity is described as intact. |
| Acreage | 85 |
| Coordinates | 36.84326, -76.25785 (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 03000443.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16826493
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.