This African American residential community is located in the less developed part of Virginia Beach. The goal of this project was to tell the story of Seatack, one beginning in the nineteenth century in what was then Princess Anne County, as the area underwent a gradual transformation from large farms to numerous small residential parcels owned by local families.
Commonwealth
Seatack Historic District
Architectural Survey
Community Engagement
Historic Resource Documentation
National Register Nominations
Oral Histories and Community History Days
Seatack Historic District
Partners
City of Virginia Beach
Community of Seatack
Virginia Department of Historic Resources
National Park Service
Project Goals
The City of Virginia Beach hired CPG to complete a survey and National Register Nomination for the community of Seatack.
Project Design
Seatack is a community that has faced adversity and a loss of historic fabric due to external factors; the community has survived nonetheless and developing the right approach to telling that story was a vital component of CPG’s project design.
CPG utilized traditional architectural survey to document the resources and added oral history and extensive local history and stories to bolster the story of this remarkable community. Additionally, CPG utilized a dynamic boundary selection process to address the interspersed areas of historic resources and modern development.
Challenges & Accomplishments
Seatack has experienced encroachment and redevelopment pressures for much of its later history, and also is spread across more than a mile of South Birdneck Road.
CPG used a total of five discontiguous areas to include the historic roads that comprise this community and included as much of the historic built environment as possible. This project led to the listing of the Seatack community on the National Register of Historic Places in May 2024.