Six historic sites designated as Virginia landmarks

Among the six places recently listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register are a house in Charlottesville designed by Milton L. Grigg, the celebrated architect best known for his work on the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg and Monticello in the 20th century; a Danville elementary school featuring architecture representative of mid-20th–century educational trends and their effect on the development of suburbs in Virginia after World War II; and a unique, mid-1700s American frontier–style home in the Shenandoah Valley that grew into a commercial business in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The Commonwealth’s Board of Historic Resources approved these properties for designation on the Virginia Landmarks Register (VLR) during its quarterly public meeting on December 12, 2024, in Richmond. The VLR is the commonwealth’s official list of places of historic, architectural, archaeological, and cultural significance. At the conclusion of its meeting, the Board approved the following places for listing in the VLR:

In the state’s Eastern Region,

Built circa 1937 for James Minor, an attorney who was associated with drafting the Virginia State Constitution in 1902, the James Minor House in the city of Charlottesville exemplifies the early work of Milton L. Grigg, who is best known as one of the architects responsible for the 20th-century restoration of Colonial Williamsburg and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. The James Minor House showcases Grigg’s talent for incorporating elements of colonial Virginia’s classical architecture into the economical construction of the Great Depression.

In Virginia’s Western Region,

Completed in 1962-63, Cedarbrook Elementary School in the city of Danville was designed in the International architectural style to reflect the relationship between the changing educational trends of the mid-20th century and the Modern architectural movement. Situated on a large tract of land in a suburban environment, Cedarbrook Elementary served as the community focal point during its years of operation from 1963 to 2012, demonstrating the critical role of schools in the development of suburbs across Virginia in the decades following World War II.

In the state’s Northern Region,

First constructed in the mid-1700s, the Mint Spring Tavern in Augusta County is a rare surviving example of a Scots-Irish settler’s home in the Shenandoah Valley that evolved into а rural commercial complex over the next two centuries. Starting as an illegal tavern by 1779, the Mint Spring property expanded to include an inn, a general store, and a post office in the 19th century, before becoming a tourist home for motorists traveling along the nation’s highways in the 1930s and 1940s.

In Madison County, Criglersville Elementary School played an important role in the education of the children of residents who were forced to relocate to the area from communities that were in the path of what would become Shenandoah National Park. The architecture of the school—which comprises a main school building completed in ca. 1949, a home economics building built ca. 1935, and an agricultural building also constructed in ca. 1935—exemplifies a vernacular interpretation of the Modernist style in rural Madison County.

Ivy Hill Cemetery was established in 1854-56 as a nondenominational community burial ground in the city of Alexandria to provide a serene, park-like setting in which citizens could be laid to rest. With its pastoral landscape, winding footpaths and driveways, and natural water stream, Ivy Hill embodies the philosophies of the Rural Cemetery Movement of the mid-19th century, which promoted the establishment of cemeteries in peaceful, bucolic settings, away from the bustle of cities. 

From 1939 to 1959, the Triplett High and Graded School served as the only school for white students in the Shenandoah County town of Mount Jackson and the surrounding areas. The Colonial Revival-style school building, constructed in 1939 with New Deal funding, features a prominent Doric-inspired portico and includes a classroom, an auditorium/gymnasium, and a cafeteria.

The Board also approved in its December meeting the updated National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) Registration Forms for the properties listed below. The new registration forms include revisions to the historic boundaries of properties as well as additional documentation on the historic resources located on those properties.
A Boundary Increase to the Belmead property in Powhatan County;
Updated information in the NRHP Registration Forms for Keeling House and Pembroke Manor, both located in the city of Virginia Beach; and
Boundary Decreases for the properties of Berkley North Historic District in the city of Norfolk, Francis Land House in the city of Virginia Beach, and Wishart-Boush House (Lynnhaven House) in the city of Virginia Beach.

DHR will forward the documentation for the newly listed VLR sites to the National Park Service for nomination to the NRHP. Listing a property in the state or national registers is honorary and sets no restrictions on what owners may do with their property. The designation is foremost an invitation to learn about and experience authentic and significant places in Virginia’s history. Designating a property to the state or national registers—either individually or as a contributing building in a historic district—provides an owner the opportunity to pursue historic rehabilitation tax credit improvements to the building. Tax credit projects must comply with the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.