Downtown Neighborhoods

Park View is a designated Historic District featuring Queen Anne and Colonial Revival style architecture built between 1888 and 1892.  The City and The Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority (PRHA) have begun to implement a Revitalization Strategy for Park View.  The plan addresses such issues as parking, landscaping, streetscapes, lighting, vacant lots and code enforcement.  PRHA is working with a private developer to purchase vacant homes for rehab and working with another private developer to build in-fill housing on vacant lots.  Rehabs are selling for $295,000+ and new infill homes are selling for $450,000.

The Myrtles at Olde Towne is a new $22 million high-end residential development, completed in 2005, nestled between the Olde Towne and Park View Historic Districts on the former Portsmouth General Hospital Site.  The community offers residents the modern conveniences of new construction within walking distance of the downtown shopping and dining district. Rental rates start at $1,010 per month for one-bedroom units and $1,330 per month for two-bedroom units plus utilities.

Port Norfolk is a designated Historic District featuring homes in the Bungalow/Craftsman and Queen Anne architectural style built in the late 19th century.  A growing business district features quaint neighborhood shops, and an influx of young professionals are purchasing and rehabbing historic homes to raise families.  Active listings average $242,000.

Swimming Point is a quaint neighborhood with a dozen or so turn-of-the-century-style houses that many residents have called home for decades. Located near Olde Towne, the secluded neighborhood is tucked beneath the shadow of Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, with the Elizabeth River at its doorstep.

Westbury is a new $60 million mixed income development south of Downtown replacing a former public housing complex.  It was one of 18 developments across the nation recently selected as an example of excellence in the design of affordable housing.  The neighborhood was featured in an exhibition at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.  Developed in phases with a $25 million Hope VI Federal Grant, the community features 161 homes and 117 rental units.  Recent sales average $161,000.  An additional 199 units will be added in conjunction with the Jeffry Wilson Hope VI redevelopment project in Midtown.

Olde Towne features the largest concentration of period architecture between Alexandria, Virginia and Charleston, South Carolina and was designated an Historic District in 1970.  Homes feature the Federal, Queen Anne, Greek Revival, late Victorian and late 19th and 20th architectural styles.  Active listings average $318,000.

The Downtown Historic District features mixed-use buildings with first floor commercial space and residential on the upper floors - a growing trend reflecting the character of the middle and merchant class business operator.  The styles of the buildings vary by time period, with a few remaining Federal and Greek Revival houses. Buildings along nearly every block of High Street are undergoing renovations to create additional mixed-use living opportunities.  New apartments are leasing for $1,200 to $1,450 per month and new condos prices will range from $225,000 to $300,000.

London Street Infill Housing meets the growing demand for the Olde Towne lifestyle. Nine new Victorian and Federal style homes, selling for $430,000 to $575,000 are under construction along the London Street gateway into Olde Towne.  The design and architecture complements the successful renovation of six homes that took place in 1999.