Historic District

The Historic Downtown Overlay District is comprised of approximately 350 properties concentrated within the vicinities of Capon, Fort, High, Holliday, King, Massanutten, North, Queen, and Washington Streets.  Included in the Historic District is a non-contiguous area of three (3) properties, situated northeast of the intersection of Cool Spring Road and North Massanutten Street.  The Town maintains a Map of the Historic District.

The purpose of the Historic District, as stated in Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Section 3.17.1 "is to protect and preserve the old and historic districts of the Town and individual landmarks located within those districts."  As with most districts of its type in Virginia, virtually all exterior additions/alterations (to include demolition, new construction, signage, etc.) necessitate some form of review and decision/recommendation from the Town's Architectural Review Board (ARB).  To discern what actions would necessitate ARB review or decision, see UDO Section 3.17.6.

In 2011, the Town Council voted to adopt the Strasburg Historic District Design Guidelines (SHDDG).  The SHDDG serve as an "owners' manual" of sorts for property owners within the Historic District who wish to conduct additions/alterations, etc. to their historic properties.

The Historic District is not to be confused with the Strasburg Historic District, which is an honorary district that was listed on both the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and the Virginia Landmarks Register (VLR) in 1984.  Unless tax credits at the state and/or federal level have been applied for and enjoyed by the property owner, no additional regulations impact these properties as a result of these listings.  However, it is important to note that most of the properties in the honorary district are also located within the Town's District, in which the regulations already noted automatically apply.  The NRHP and VLR Nomination Form from 1983 includes a Boundary Map.