Calling All Virginia-Highland History Buffs!

The Virginia-Highland Civic Association Preservation & History Committee formed nearly two years ago and has made great progress.  We’re inviting all lovers of history to play an important role: join our committee for starters, and  become the History Champion of your subdivision.

Virginia-Highland is actually made up of many subdivisions and was primarily developed from the early 1900’s through the late 40’s. The number of named subdivisions varies depending on which history you look at. The  disparity is often a product of incomplete developments being absorbed (or expanding) into larger subdivisions.

The map shown below gives a rough idea of the key historic subdivisions and the approximate dates of their development. We’d love for our Subdivision History Champions to help us uncover as much history as we can, subdivision by subdivision.  We’ve learned a lot, but there is much more to know.

We can advise you on the process, scanning specs and best places to look for historic information. The type of history you collect could depend on your own personal curiosity and where it leads you. Oral histories, images, and documents are productive starting points, as are identifying and protecting landmarks, and investigating subdivsion historic designation. The Preservation & History Committee can advise you in all these processes.

The primary subdivisons noted on the map shown below are:

1.      Todd / Liddell Estate – 1904, 1932

2.      Oak Grove / North Highalnd – 1907

3.      Highland View – 1911

4.      Atkins Park – 1912

5.      Realty Mortgage Development – 1913

6.      Adair Park – 1916

7.      Virginia Avenue Subdivision (Collection) – 1916

8.      Virginia Hills – 1921

9.      North Boulevard Park – 1916

10.   Rosewood Park – 1922

11.   F.A. Ames Property / Virginia Highlands – 1922

12.   Kelly – 1924

13.   Cheshire Estate – 1928

14.   Brookridge Park Subdivision – 1935

Click on the map image above to view a larger version.

To learn more about our committee and see a little of the history we’ve been working on, visit the committee’s page at vahi.org: https://vahi.org/planning/preservation/

Reach out to us directly at [email protected]. We’d love to get you involved!