Lovettsville’s Historic District: A Well-Kept Secret
Presented by Maral Kalbian
Architectural Historian
Sunday, August 17, 2025, at 2:00 p.m.
St. James United Church of Christ,
10 East Broad Way, Lovettsville
Did you know? Since 2012, Lovettsville has had an Historic District which is officially registered on the National Register of Historic Places, and on the Virginia Landmarks Register.
On Sunday, August 17, you will have the opportunity to learn all about it, as architectural historian Maral Kalbian will give her first public presentation on the Historic District, for which she prepared the application in 2010-2011.
The 2011 application included a detailed survey and inventory of all the historic properties in the Town of Lovettsville, as well as two church and cemetery properties that lie outside the Town’s boundaries, but which long predate the Town and were an integral part of the “German Settlement,” as this community was formerly known.
The application, including Ms. Kalbian’s survey, was submitted to the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places, which approved the application in mid-2012, as did the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
The Lovettsville Historic District consists of about 90 acres and contains 111 properties which make up the core of the Town as it existed in the mid-20th century. With outbuildings, etc., there are 181 “contributing” structures or features which are regarded as being of historic significance.
Do you have questions about Lovettsville’s oldest buildings? What if anything is distinctive about Lovettsville compared to neighboring communities? Is there anything distinctively “German” in the German Settlement? Are there any advantages or benefits to owning a house within the Historic District?
Come and find out on August 17. Meanwhile, you can get a sneak peek here.
Our speaker, Maral S. Kalbian, is an architectural historian and historic preservation specialist who has practiced in the Shenandoah Valley and Piedmont of Virginia for 37 years. She researches, evaluates, and documents historic architecture for a variety of public and private clients, including several local governments. She has completed more than 50 historic district and 40 individual National Register nominations, including the Lovettsville Historic District in 2012.
Some of Ms. Kalbian’s publications include: Clarke County, Virginia: History through Architecture; Frederick County: History Through Architecture; “African-American Historic Context of Clarke County, VA;” “Destination Middleburg, a Walking Tour Into the Past;” and Clarke County, Virginia Images of America. Ms. Kalbian has lectured extensively on topics related to historic preservation throughout the Commonwealth, and has earned numerous honorary and professional awards for her work.
A video recording of the August 17 presentation will be posted on the Lovettsville Historical Society website.
Admission is free, but donations are welcome to defray expenses of the program and to support the activities of the Lovettsville Historical Society.
For more information, call 540-822-9194.