Bernard Peabody Holland, the first mayor and postmaster of Virginia Beach, built this Queen Anne-style beach cottage in 1895. Its present name comes from Holland and from Norfolk banker and cotton broker Cornelius de Witt, who purchased the property in 1909. The Holland-de Witt Cottage remains the sole surviving example of the oceanfront dwellings constructed at Virginia Beach during its first period of development (1883-1906). Typical of early resort residences, it has a wrap-around front porch and a small cupola. The interior is sheathed with beaded wooden boards. The last of the de Witt family moved from the cottage in the late 1980s. The property was acquired by the city of Virginia Beach and went on to house the Back Bay Wildfowl Guild. The picturesque Holland-de Witt Cottage and its naturalistic landscaped grounds vividly contrast with the adjacent high-density development and are a reminder of the city’s historic resort character.

Built in 1895 for Bernard Peabody Holland and his family, the Holland-de Witt Cottage in the City of Virginia Beach was originally listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 for its significance as the sole remaining building constructed during the oceanfront resort area’s earliest period of development. This nomination update provides a description of the house following restoration and renovation undertaken between 1990 and 1995 to adapt the building for use as a museum. It also expands the historic context to include a more detailed discussion on the early beachfront development and the building’s significant association with Bernard Peabody Holland, Virginia Beach’s first mayor. Finally, this documentation also includes results of a recent archaeological investigation that located an NRHP-eligible site on the property.  
[VLR Approved: 12/11/2025; NRHP Approval Pending]