Southwest Historic District
Also known as: See Also:Mountain View; St. John's Episcopal Church
The pin is a point inside the NPS boundary polygon, not a surveyed location.
Why it's listed
Covering roughly 105 blocks in the southwest quadrant of Roanoke, this district holds 1,658 structures, most of them houses built between 1882 and 1930. It includes three neighborhoods: Old Southwest, Mountain View and Hurt Park. Land companies, including the West End Land Company and a Norfolk and Western Railway subsidiary, laid out and promoted the area for railroad officials, businessmen and middle-income families. Most buildings date from 1900 to 1910, and the common type is a square frame or brick house with a tall hipped roof and a classical porch. Larger examples include Queen Anne residences on Campbell and Patterson avenues, three Shingle-style model homes on 2nd Street, and Colonial Revival mansions such as Mountain View, designed by H.H. Huggins. The district also contains Highland Park, churches, a synagogue, Highland Park School and the Tudor Revival Jefferson High School. It is considered significant for the cohesion and integrity of this early 20th-century streetscape, with few intrusions.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as the most architecturally cohesive residential neighborhood in inner-city Roanoke and one of the largest historic districts in Virginia. It reflects the city's early growth tied to the Norfolk and Western Railway and land companies. It holds a remarkable collection of late 19th- and early 20th-century houses, churches and schools in Queen Anne, Shingle, Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival and related styles.
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 85001349, listed June 19, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Salem Ave., Jefferson St., Roanoke River and 20th St., Roanoke (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Roanoke (city and county) |
| Listed | June 19, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85001349 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | H.H. Huggins (architect, Mountain View and Trinity Methodist Church); H. Courey Richards (architect, Jefferson High School); Shockey and Field (contractors); T.S. Simmons (contractor); John J. Sheahan (contractor) |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne, Shingle, Colonial Revival, Bungalow, American Foursquare, Tudor Revival |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as largely intact, with only about ninety noncontributing structures considered intrusions; condition is rated excellent to fair with some deterioration and alteration. |
| Acreage | 375 |
| Within district | Wasena Historic District |
| Coordinates | 37.26753, -79.95700 (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 85001349.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16900407
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.