Historic Registers
Frequently Asked Questions
How are decisions made about what gets listed? The process consists of evaluation and nomination. During the evaluation phase, preliminary information about the property is examined by the Department of Historic Resources regional office and the National Register Evaluation Committee, which then recommends to the State Review Board properties that appear to meet the criteria for registration. Once the evaluation phase is completed, the nomination phase usually results in the listing of these qualified properties.
Isn’t it true that only sites associated with famous people or events get registered? No. The register criteria apply to places of local as well as of national or statewide significance. Many places are listed in the registers because they exemplify themes or architectural styles important in local history.
If my property is listed in the national or state registers, will it be protected from undesirable development or destruction by government projects? Not necessarily. Only easements protect property in perpetuity. Registration informs owners, local planners, government agencies, and others involved in land-use planning of the existence of a historic resource. Neither the National Historic Preservation Act nor the Code of Virginia, however, requires property owners, developers, or government agencies to avoid affecting or destroying historic resources. The National Historic Preservation Act does require, however, that federal agencies take historic properties into account when planning projects. In many cases, state and federal agencies work around the historic property or mitigate the effects of a project on the property. However, in most cases, the federal or state project usually proceeds even if it affects or destroys the resource. In some instances, the force of public opinion has persuaded developers or government agencies to spare a registered property.
Will I be able to leave my property to my children or to anyone I want if it is listed? Listing in the national or state registers in no way affects the transfer of property from one owner to another, or any other rights or responsibilities of property ownership.
My property is included within the boundaries of a historic district even though my house is too new to be historic. Why can’t I just be left out of the district? The concept of a district precludes its looking like a doughnut or a slice of Swiss cheese. The boundaries of a district are drawn to include the highest concentration of resources that contribute to the significance of the district, but there will often be properties within the district that do not contribute to it. (For instance, a historic farm complex is likely to have modern structures that do not contribute to the significance of the complex.) These properties are included within the district boundary but are recorded as noncontributing. This has the same effect as "leaving them out" without compromising the integrity of the district as a whole.
Style Sheet Reference for Nomination Writing
List of Virginia Properties on the State and National Registers
County & City Listings—Nominations Forms for Properties
Preliminary Evaluation and Nomination Process
Downloading Preliminary Evaluation and
Nomination Forms
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Maggie Walker, the first African American to establish and head a bank, bought this house, in Richmond, in 1904. The house is a National Historic Site and is open to the public. Listed on the registers in 1975
Built in 1794, Carrsbrook was home to Captain Thomas Carr, a wealthy planter and soldier who was a close friend of Thomas Jefferson. Listed on the registers in 1981
Built in 1841, the Exchange Building, in Petersburg, was home to auctions and public meetings. It has been converted into a police court. Listed on the registers in 1971
Woodson's Mill, in Nelson County, provided essential service to an agricultural community for more than a century. Listed on the registers in 1992
The Campbell Avenue Complex, in Roanoke, was part of the city's first major urban construction and were used to serve the Norfolk and Western Railway Company. Listed on the registers in 1990