National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Belmont Historic District

Blanton, Alison; Gutshall, Katie; Kronau, Kate

A National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for the Belmont Historic District Narrative Description Summary Paragraph: "The Belmont Historic District is located in the southeast quadrant of the City of Roanoke, Virginia. Situate to the east of the commercial center of the city and south of the Norfolk-South (formerly Norfolk & Western Railway) tracks and machine, the Belmont neighborhood developed in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century to provide housing for workers in the railroad and related industries. Developed primarily by the Belmont Land Company, the district encompasses the land platted by the company in 1888, as well as the adjacent areas of industrial and commercial development along the railroad tracks. The district is bounded by Campbell Avenue to the north, 11th Street to the east, Albermarle Avenue to the south, and Interstate 581 to the west. The resources in the district date from the late nineteenth through the mid-twentieth century and consist primarily of residential buildings, the majority of which are single-family. The residential architectural is primarily vernacular with influences from Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, and Craftsman styles. Several churches, commercial and industrial buildings, historic gas stations, and a fire station complete the neighborhood, including the NRHP-listed H.L. Lawson & Son Building, Fire Station No. 6 and Belmont Methodist Church. The 227-acre Belmont Historic District consists of --- primary resources, the majority of which are residential. Secondary resources consist primarily of garages and sheds on residential lots. Of the 1,029 total resources, 838 contribute to the district while 191 are identified as non-contributing due to either their date of construction or loss of physical integrity." Statement of Significance Summary Paragraph: "The Belmont neighborhood, along with most of Roanoke City, developed in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries during a period of tremendous growth and prosperity directly related to the establishment of the Norfolk & Western Railway Company in 1881. After the opening of the N&W East End Shops in 1882, the Belmont Land Company formed in 1888, purchasing land along the south side of the tracks to provide housing for the influx of railroad workers. The growth of the neighborhood continued with the extension of the streetcar lines in 1905, and the construction of the American Viscose Corporation plat on 9th Street in 1917. These two major industries, as well as numerous other industries along the railroad, provided employment to the working-class residents of Belmont. The neighborhood continued to develop into the mid-twentieth century to include a full complement of residential, commercial and institutional buildings - including several churches, a school, and a fire station. The Belmont Historic District is one of the oldest and most architecturally diverse neighborhoods in the City of Roanoke. The Belmont Historic District is eligible on the local level for listing on the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A in the area of Community Planning and Development and under Criterion C in the area of Architecture. The period of significance begins in 1888, with the formation of the Belmont Land Company, and ends in 1958, when the neighborhood's growth slowed dramatically with the closure of the American Viscose Corporation plant and substantial workforce reductions at the Norfolk & Western Machine Shops. The construction of Interstate 581 in the mid-1960s isolated the Belmont neighborhood by interrupting the street pattern that connected it to downtown Roanoke." Project funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, administered by the State, Tribal, Local Plans and Grants division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior (grant number P17AF00053).

National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Belmont Historic District

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