Orange Commercial Historic District is a national
historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...
located at
Orange,
Orange County, Virginia. One of Virginia's Main Street communities,
it encompasses 61 contributing buildings in the
central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...
of Orange's county seat.
History
While the courthouse maintains records dating back to the county's formation in 1734, almost all the buildings were built after formal incorporation of "Orange Court House" as a town in 1872. The town's name was shortened in 1890.
Especially after the
American Civil War, during which many Confederate convalesced in Orange, the town grew as a railroad center. The
Orange and Alexandria Railroad
The Orange and Alexandria Railroad (O&A) was a railroad in Virginia, United States. Chartered in 1848, it eventually extended from Alexandria to Gordonsville, with another section from Charlottesville to Lynchburg. The road played a crucial rol ...
(begun in 1850), which connected in
Gordonsville, Virginia to a railroad from Charlottesville and Lynchburg into Richmond, for decades was the main transportation link between Washington, D.C. and Richmond. The town experienced a devastating fire on November 8, 1908, which led to an economic decline. However, by 1930 the area had adopted to the increasingly popular automobile, with many dealers, related industry and tourism.
The district's 19th- and early 20th-century residential, commercial and institutional buildings show various popular architectural styles, especially the
Italianate. Notable buildings include Peliso (c. 1806), Sparks Building (c. 1830), Holladay House (c. 1830), Miles B. Lipscomb Store (1853), Nazareth Baptist Church (1913), Masonic Opera House (1885, 1921-1922), Trinity United Methodist Church (1892), former National Bank of Orange (1892), former Citizens National Bank (1925), Levy's Busy Corner (1908), and the Southern Railway Depot (1908). Located in the district but previously (and separately) listed are the
Orange County Courthouse and
St. Thomas Church.
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It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.[
]
References
External links
Historic districts in Orange County, Virginia
Italianate architecture in Virginia
National Register of Historic Places in Orange County, Virginia
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia
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