Lynchburg’s Fifth Street Historic District, located southwest of the city’s central business area, arose as a significant African American commercial area during the latter 19th and early 20th centuries. In the early-19th-century the area developed as a gateway to the west, with several taverns and commercial establishments located there. During the late-19th-century, the Fifth Street corridor hosted high-end residential neighborhoods for Lynchburg‘s white population while at the same time it was the primary scene of commerce for the area‘s African American community. The Fifth Street Historic District corridor also developed as a major automobile sales and service district of gas stations and service garages, tire and auto parts stores, and automobile showrooms.