Riddick House
Why it's listed
Riddick House, at 510 Main Street in Suffolk, is a brick Greek Revival townhouse begun in 1837 by Mills Riddick after fire destroyed his earlier home during a blaze that consumed much of the town. The two-and-a-half story house sits on an English basement and has a Flemish bond facade, a Doric portico on the west, and a later south portico added in 1905. Inside, a central hall plan, molded trim with acanthus corner blocks, and a plaster ceiling medallion show careful craftsmanship. The Riddick family, prominent in Suffolk and Nansemond County, lived here for generations. During the Civil War, General John J. Peck and his staff used it as Union Army headquarters. Nansemond County bought the property from the heirs in 1967, and it now houses school board offices. It was listed because few Virginia townhouses of this style and quality survive.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it an outstanding and rare surviving example of Greek Revival townhouse architecture in Virginia, with a well-proportioned facade, careful brickwork and finely detailed interior trim. Many ante-bellum townhouses were lost to war and urban growth, making it an important survivor. It was also the long-time home of the prominent Riddick family and served as Union staff headquarters during the Civil War.
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 74002247, listed May 2, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 510 Main St., Suffolk (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk |
| Listed | May 2, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74002247 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition stated as good; occupied and used as offices of the county school board. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Suffolk Historic District (Boundary Increase) |
| Coordinates | 36.73713, -76.58221 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 74002247.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7332378
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.