The Mathews Downtown Historic District has been named to the National Register of Historic Places.

The district was placed on the Virginia Landmarks Register on Sept. 22 by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. The department notified the county and property owners in the district of the newest honor via a letter dated Nov. 6.

The honorary designation carries no property restrictions for those living in the district, but it does offer a couple of benefits for contributing properties, said the letter from Julie Langan, director of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.

The first is Virginia’s Rehabilitation Tax Credit, which provides a 25 percent tax credit on eligible expenses to property owners who rehabilitate the properties according to preservation standards, said the letter. The second is a 20 percent federal Rehabilitation Tax Credit on qualified rehabilitation expenses for properties used for income-producing purposes.

In addition, properties within th...