Centre Hill Historic District
Also known as: See Also:Centre Hill
Why it's listed
Centre Hill Historic District is a residential enclave in northern Petersburg, Virginia, made up of seventy-one buildings gathered around the Centre Hill mansion. The brick mansion, built in the second quarter of the 19th century for the Bolling family, combines Federal and Greek Revival details and is individually listed. Its park-like grounds stayed largely intact until 1911, when a development company divided much of the land into twenty-nine lots around a circular drive, Centre Hill Court. Houses built there from 1914 into the 1920s include bungalows, American Foursquare designs, Colonial Revival and Tudor Revival dwellings, a mix described as unique in the city. Some are duplexes that share a building with houses on neighboring streets. Nearby North Jefferson and Franklin streets keep Greek Revival, Italianate and late 19th-century frame houses from the earlier neighborhood, along with a 1915 five-story apartment building and St. Joseph's Convent. Today the mansion operates as a museum.
Significance in brief: The district centers on the Federal and Greek Revival Centre Hill mansion and the surrounding 19th-century neighborhood. After 1911 the estate grounds were subdivided into lots for Centre Hill Court, which holds a varied collection of early 20th-century houses unique in Petersburg. The area took on its present appearance by about 1930.
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 86001277, listed June 13, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Henry, N. Adams, N. Jefferson, Franklin, and E. Washington Sts., Centre Hill Ct., and Centre Hill Ave., Petersburg (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Petersburg |
| Listed | June 13, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86001277 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architectural style | Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Bungalow, American Foursquare, Tudor Revival |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Military, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The district is occupied. Centre Hill mansion is city-owned, serves as a local history and military museum, and is being restored. |
| Acreage | 19 |
| Coordinates | 37.22971, -77.40036 (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 86001277.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16826158
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.