Chauffeur's Rest tourist home
Known Name(s)
Chauffeur's Rest tourist home
Address
129 Preston Ave. Charlottesville, VA
Establishment Type(s)
Tourist Home
Physical Status
Demolished
Description
The 1920 Sanborn Fire Insurance map indicates that 129 Preston Avenue is a two-story frame dwelling with a slate or tin roof and a one-story front porch. It is located at the intersection of Williams and Preston. Unfortunately, later Sanborn maps are not available at this time so it is unclear whether or not the building changed between 1920 and its 1940 - 1967 listing in the Green Book.
Detailed History
According to JMRL librarian Miranda Burnett, the Chauffeur's Rest operated as a kind of resident inn and the location, now under the Omni parking lot, was owned by the Commodore family. The 1950 census lists Joyce Commodore, age 71, as head of household at 129 Preston Ave. Her houshold contains her brother Joyce, age 81, and her sister Anna Workman, age 91. All are Black, widowed, do not work, and were born in Virginia.
