C. B. Holt Rock House
African American Charles B. Holt owned a carpentry
business in Charlottesville’s Vinegar Hill neighborhood. The son of former slaves, Holt built this
Arts and Crafts-style house in 1925-1926, during
the era of segregation when blacks were more
than a quarter of the city’s population but owned
less than one-tenth of its private land. He lived
here with his wife, Mary Spinner, until his death
In 1950. Later Holt’s stepson, Roy C. Preston,
and his wife, Asalie Minor Preston, moved in.
After a distinguished career teaching In Albemarle
County’s segregated black public schools, Asalie
Preston endowed the Minor Preston Educational
Fund to provide college scholarships.
Marker is on Preston Avenue just south of 10th Street NW, on the left when traveling north.
Courtesy hmdb.org
