Pleasant Hall (Additional Documentation)
Also known as: Vdhr #134-0027
Why it's listed
Pleasant Hall is a brick Georgian house at 5184 Princess Anne Road in Virginia Beach, built in 1779 by Peter Singleton, a wealthy Princess Anne County landowner. A dated brick below the water table on the front wall confirms the year. The house has two stories, five bays, a shallow gable roof, Flemish bond walls, and a modillion and dentil cornice. Inside, a center hall with a Doric-pilastered arch leads to a fully paneled parlor whose chimneypiece carries full-height Corinthian pilasters, an order rarely used in colonial Virginia interiors. The attic shows unusual king post truss framing. Almost no original woodwork has been lost. Singleton also gave the land behind the house for the Princess Anne County Court House, built in the 1780s. The house now survives as practically the last early reminder of the old court house town of Kempsville, surrounded by suburban development but still set among large shade trees and a broad front lawn.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it an outstanding example of second period Georgian architecture, with a refined exterior and interior woodwork of exceptional quality. Few Virginia houses of its age retain so much original decorative and structural fabric. Its fully paneled parlor with Corinthian pilasters is rare in colonial Virginia, and its king post truss roof framing is unusual. It is also practically the last early vestige of the court house town of Kempsville.
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 73002229, listed January 25, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 5184 Singleton Way, Virginia Beach (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Virginia Beach |
| Listed | January 25, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73002229 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 18th Century (specific date 1779) |
| Architect / builder | Peter Singleton (builder/original owner) |
| Architectural style | Georgian (second period Georgian) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in good condition and unaltered, on its original site. It was occupied and used as a private residence at the time of nomination, with a west chimney stack rebuilt after hurricane damage. |
| Acreage | 2.14 |
| Coordinates | 36.82779, -76.16225 (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 73002229.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16898623
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.