The Patton Mansion is an impressive early-20th-century example of the Jeffersonian Revival style. It was the built by John S. Patton, librarian at the University of Virginia, and served as his home until his death in the 1940s.  Soon after, the house was converted for commercial use, first as an antique shop and later as a branch of the Citizens Bank (later the Central Fidelity Bank).

The buildings and districts listed under the Charlottesville Multiple Resource Area nomination represent a cross section of all the city’s historic periods, from the founding of Charlottesville in the 1760s through the advent of the automobile and the impact it had on the city’s expansion. Also included are buildings that have played an important part in the history of Charlottesville’s black community. The Patton Mansion was listed in the registers under the Charlottesville MRA without a formal nomination document.