South Market Street Historic District
Also known as: DHR File No. 123-108; See Also: Wallace, Thomas, House
Why it's listed
South Market Street in Petersburg, Virginia, holds a two-block remnant of what was once the city's premier residential address. Seventeen resources, mostly brick or frame houses with a few surviving carriage houses and kitchens, line the street from Washington to Halifax Street. Most were built between 1840 and 1905 and show Greek Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival styles. The street was home to the McIlwaines, McGills, Williamses, Roper family and other manufacturing and commercial leaders, and was called the "Fifth Avenue of Petersburg." The one non-residential building is the 1858 Gothic Revival church, designed by R. A. Machen, now Mt. Olivet Baptist Church. A cast-iron fence, granite curbs and consistent setbacks add to the setting. On April 3, 1865, the Wallace House hosted a meeting between General Grant and President Lincoln. Despite the loss of several grand houses, the street keeps a cohesive nineteenth-century character.
Significance in brief: The district is significant for its architecture and its social history. It preserves a once-fashionable street where leading Petersburg merchants and industrialists built high-style Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival houses between 1840 and 1905. It is also tied to the meeting of Grant and Lincoln at the Wallace House on April 3, 1865.
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 92000345, listed April 22, 1992. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | S. Market St. from Washington St. to Halifax St., Petersburg (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Petersburg |
| Listed | April 22, 1992 |
| Reference number | 92000345 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1840-1905 |
| Architect / builder | Machen, R.A. |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Military, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Houses and a church remain in residential and religious use; one house (121-123) is noncontributing because of lost integrity, and several grand houses have been demolished. |
| Acreage | 6.5 |
| Coordinates | 37.22513, -77.40624 (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 92000345.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16900361
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.