It is located in the primarily residential section of Portsmouth and includes a notable collection of Federal and Greek Revival style townhouses, known as "basement houses."

Other notable buildings include the Watts House (1799), Grice-Neeley House (circa 1820), Ball-Nivison House (1752), Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church (1857), St. John's Episcopal Church (1898), Court Street Baptist Church (1901-1903), and Union Machinist Home.

Located in the district is the separately listed Monumental Methodist Church.

[3][4][5] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, with a boundary increase in 1983.

This article about a property in Portsmouth, Virginia on the National Register of Historic Places is a stub.