Charlottesville has been a regional political center since becoming the Albemarle County seat in 1762. In addition to its associations with Thomas Jefferson and the University of Virginia, the city is significant for the diversity of its 19th- and early-20th-century architecture. The heart of the Charlottesville and Albemarle County Courthouse Historic District is the courthouse square, containing the courthouse and several 19th-century brick offices. Also in the district is an archetypical late-19th-century main street, the Charlottesville Downtown Mall, which was made into a pedestrian mall in the 1970s. Architectural highlights are the former public library, the former post office, and a railroad station, all employing a learned classicism. The individually listed McGuffey Elementary School is also in the district. Adjacent industrial buildings and several adjoining residential neighborhoods complete the district. Scattered through the Charlottesville and Albemarle County Courthouse Historic District are various Federal and Greek Revival houses. While not devoid of intrusions, the district gives Charlottesville’s downtown a strong sense of historical continuity.

Additional documentation to amend the Charlottesville and Albemarle County Courthouse Historic District nomination was submitted in 1995 to include the Confederate Memorial of Charlottesville and Albemarle County as a contributing object.  This 1995 amendment is attached to the original 1980 nomination form, linked to the right.
[VLR Approved: 12/6/1995; NRHP Approved: 10/8/2008]