Situated between Atlantic and Pacific Avenues, one block west of the oceanfront in the northern end of the Virginia Beach resort area, the 37th Street Cottages Historic District is composed of three early 20th century beach cottages and their four secondary dwellings and sheds. Constructed between 1913 and 1928, this row of Craftsman style dwellings is locally significant as a rare surviving collection of the single-family beach cottages that were once the most prominent building type in the Virginia Beach resort area. Now surrounded by hotels and modern commercial development, the district preserves an early 20th century streetscape that is representative of Virginia Beach’s early development patterns and architectural character. During the 1940s and 1950s, the cottages were subdivided into apartments and a secondary dwelling or duplex was added to each of the properties, initially to address housing shortages created by increased military presence in Virginia Beach during World War II. Following the war, these units that make up the 37th Street Cottages Historic District continued the tradition of family-owned and operated cottage rentals through the late 20th century.