Former 'Playground on the Potomac' Seeks Historic Designation

COLONIAL BEACH, VA — Colonial Beach, a popular vacation spot from the late 19th century to the 1950s, is seeking Historic District designation for a six-block commercial area and two roads in the town of Colonial Beach.

The first step in the Virginia Landmarks Register and National Register of Historic Places nomination process is a virtual public hearing conducted by Virginia Department of Historic Resources on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Colonial Beach, located in Westmoreland County, was a popular vacation destination for Washingtonians and residents in the Richmond area. Many visitors would arrive at Colonial Beach, known as the "Playground on the Potomac," by boat from Washington.

The town began to gradually decline as the automobile made travel to more distant ocean beaches more feasible. The motels along the Potomac began to fall into disrepair in the 1960s and 1970s.

The proposed Colonial Beach Commercial Historic District lies just west of the Potomac riverfront, where steamboat wharves, amusements, bathhouses, hotels and restaurants lined a boardwalk and beach during the resort town’s heyday.

Historic designation would enable eligible building owners to voluntarily take advantage of significant tax credits for approved historic renovations.

Located within the district are historically significant commercial, civic and residential buildings from all phases of the town’s history.

A decision regarding the Virginia Landmarks Register phase of the nomination is expected in June. If approved, the process then advances to the federal level.