Photo: Home on East Main Street, Middletown. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. Photographed by user:Acroterian (own work), 2008, [cc‑4.0] via Wikimedia Commons, accessed August, 2025.
Photo: Home on East Main Street, Middletown. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. Photographed by user:Acroterian (own work), 2008, [cc‑4.0] via Wikimedia Commons, accessed August, 2025.
The Airview Historic District [†], located along 701-720 East Main Street in Middletown, Frederick County, Maryland, is a residential subdivision developed primarily between 1896 and 1930. This district consists of twelve single-family homes that demonstrate architectural styles including Late Victorian, Colonial Revival, and Bungalow, utilizing materials such as frame, brick, and rusticated concrete block. Many of the homes were constructed as retirement residences for affluent local farmers and feature deep setbacks between 90 and 103 feet, established by the original deeds, which also accommodated the route of the Frederick and Middletown Electric Railway that once ran alongside the district.
The district includes a significant number of outbuildings, such as frame barns, garages from around 1930, and sheds, some of which contribute to the overall historic character. Houses and outbuildings constructed after 1947 are considered non-contributing, as the district's period of significance is defined as 1896-1947, corresponding to the operation period of the railway.
Historically, Airview exemplifies the phenomenon of rural "streetcar suburbs," where innovations in mass transportation, specifically interurban electric railways, influenced residential development beyond urban centers. The establishment of the Frederick and Middletown Electric Railway spurred growth east of Middletown, making these lots attractive for both convenience and their picturesque, rural setting. Airview’s development was closely tied to the Kefauver family, who subdivided their farms to create this linear community, which remains physically distinct from older Middletown due to later infill development.
Notable properties include the George W. Gaver House, influenced by a George F. Barber catalog plan; "Gray Haven," which was the first documented concrete block house in the county; and other houses that collectively represent the period’s architectural eclecticism. The district is recognized under National Register Criteria A and C for its association with the development of mass transportation and its significant collection of residential architecture from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The boundaries of the district closely follow the parcels subdivided during that formative era, preserving the original layout, setbacks, and landscape character that define Airview’s historic significance.
† Adapted from:, Edie Wallace, Historian, Paula S. Reed, PhD,, Architectural Historian. Airview Historic District, nominationdocument, National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C.
Nearby Neighborhoods
Street Names
Main Street East