Waynesboro Downtown Historic District
Also known as: 136-5048
Why it's listed
Waynesboro's downtown core is a roughly sixteen-acre business district in the Virginia city of Waynesboro, organized around Main Street and Wayne Avenue. It is bounded by Broad Street, Arch Avenue, Federal Street and Maple Avenue, and it slopes toward the South River, with the Blue Ridge Mountains beyond. Fifty-seven properties make up the district, including shops, banks, offices, a hotel, restaurants, churches and houses. The oldest buildings are early nineteenth-century brick houses, among them the circa 1806 Casper Coiner House, which is described as the district's oldest surviving building. Most other buildings are two- or three-story brick or concrete block commercial structures from the late nineteenth through the mid-twentieth century. They are mostly restrained in design, with Italianate, Colonial Revival or Art Deco touches on parapets and cornices. Standouts include the Classical Revival First National Bank, the Art Deco LB&B Building of 1929, the Colonial Revival Wayne Theater and General Wayne Inn, and Bethany Lutheran Church in the Gothic Revival style.
Significance in brief: The form describes a largely intact downtown business core with buildings from the early nineteenth century through the mid-twentieth century. It includes distinctive buildings such as the Classical Revival First National Bank, the Art Deco LB&B Building, the Colonial Revival Wayne Theater and General Wayne Inn, and the Gothic Revival Bethany Lutheran Church. The full significance statement is not included in the excerpt provided.
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 01001511, listed January 24, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Federal St., Main St., Wayne Ave., Waynesboro (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Waynesboro |
| Listed | January 24, 2002 |
| Reference number | 01001511 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architectural style | Federal, Italianate, Classical Revival, Colonial Revival, Gothic Revival, Art Deco, Modernism |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Commerce |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Most buildings remain in commercial use. Some are noted as altered, and a few storefronts have covered or plywood-filled display windows. The form's current-function list includes vacant. |
| Acreage | 16 |
| Coordinates | 38.06918, -78.89016 (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 01001511.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7976804
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.