Preservation Virginia's Blog: 2015 Most Endangered Historic Places: Jamestown Road Houses, Williamsburg

Student Assembly Building, 404 Jamestown Road

Jamestown Road Houses - Williamsburg, Virginia

Significance: Jamestown Road is a historic and scenic route into Williamsburg, linking Duke of Gloucester Street with both Jamestown and historic Route 5. It and Richmond Road divide at the west end of Duke of Gloucester Street, as planned by Francis Nicholson in 1699 and delineated on the Frenchman’s Map of 1782. The Jamestown Road houses were built in the early 20th century, before the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg. The neighborhood is illustrative of Williamsburg’s continued life between the Revolution and the world‐famous restoration of the 18th‐century town. It provides a sense of scale and character between the large institutional buildings on campus and the smaller‐scaled neighborhoods it adjoins.

Threat: Owned by the Commonwealth (the College of William and Mary), the houses are not subject to City of Williamsburg zoning or architectural review regulations. The threat is imminent; of the twelve houses, two have already been demolished. Another nine or ten are proposed for demolition in the College Master Plan, as approved by the College’s Board of Visitors in February 2015.

Solution: The College is encouraged to continue its long history of working with the City. Though not legally obligated to do so, we urge the College to consider local guidelines and to utilize the existing structures in any number of ways, including maintaining them as offices or as residences. State and national historic register designations would also help underscore the significance of the individual buildings and streetscape.

The Corner House, 402 Jamestown Road

Update (7/30/15): In April 2015, a month before the listing debuted, local residents representing both the Pollard Park and Chandler Court neighborhoods met with officials from the College of William and Mary to discuss the future of the Jamestown Road houses with regard to the Campus Master Plan. Since the listing, the neighborhoods have continued to meet and have corresponded back and forth by letter with representatives from the College. To date, the historic neighborhoods’ concerns with the College Master Plan have been acknowledged but not decisively acted upon. The neighborhoods have asked the College to consider a moratorium on any future demolition of the wood-frame houses along Jamestown Road but no commitments have been made. In the near term, the College faces the challenge of finding suitable tenants for other properties it owns in the area, like the Blank House located on Chandler Court.