Purcellville Historic District

Located in western Loudoun County, the town of Purcellville, Virginia stands near the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the center of the Loudoun Valley. The town maintains a diverse mix of residential, commercial, religious, institutional, and industrial properties that characterized it during its historic period of significance which extends from 1830 to 1957. Though a handful of buildings remain from its earliest period of development, most were built during the town’s late-19th- and early-20th-century boom period. Seventy-two percent of the 466 properties included in the district contain main buildings that contribute to its historic and architectural significance.

The Purcellville Historic District contains a small, but dense commercial core surrounded by less dense residential and industrial neighborhoods. The town is traversed by three major roads that extend beyond the town and that historically connected Purcellville to important regional transportation networks. The right-of-way of the former Washington & Old Dominion Railroad (W&OD), which played a central role in the town’s economic growth, extends along the district’s northern edge. The collection of buildings found within the Purcellville Historic District represents a range of architectural styles popular during the 19th and 20th centuries in rural Virginia. The majority exhibit simple, traditional building forms with limited stylistic detailing; however, several examples of high-style architecture are present. The commercial and industrial buildings are mainly constructed of brick or concrete block; institutional architecture ranges from substantial stone and brick churches to simple frame school buildings. Residential buildings are the most numerous building type in the district and display the widest range of styles and materials, though the majority is of frame construction.