Named for John Hampden and Algernon Sydney, 17th-century champions of English liberty, this prestigious rural Presbyterian college has operated continuously since 1776. The Hampden-Sydney College campus, located in Prince Edward County, is distinguished by an important collection of collegiate structures dating from the first half of the 19th century. The earliest is Cushing Hall, a four-story dormitory begun in 1822. Aligned with it across a vale are buildings erected by designer-contractor Dabney Cosby, Sr., to serve Union Theological Seminary, an associated institution (later moved to Richmond). These include two brick residences: Penshurst (1830) and Middlecourt (1829), and between them, Venable Hall (1824-1831), a large brick structure with a central pavilion and cupola. Inside Venable is a two-story chapel. A primary landmark in the Hampden-Sydney College Historic District is the Greek Revival College Church, built ca. 1860 to the design of the preacher-architect Robert Lewis Dabney, who used Italianate motifs for Westmerton (1856), his own residence here.

The Hampden-Sydney College Historic District was originally listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. The property was listed at the State level of significance in the areas of Architecture, Education, and Religion/Philosophy. A 2019 update to the Hampden-Sydney College Historic District nomination provided additional documentation and evaluation to better manage the treatment and interpretation of the historic district and the individual resources that comprise it, building upon information included in the original district nomination.  It also defined a specific historic boundary for the district. Of the principal campus buildings discussed in the 1969 nomination, one contributing building, the Alamo, has since been demolished.
[NRHP Approved: 4/23/2019]