Fort Norfolk (Norfolk, Virginia)
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Fort Norfolk
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Plan of Fort Norfolk in 1860
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| Location | 803 Front St., Norfolk, Virginia |
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| Coordinates | 36°51′24″N 76°18′24″W / 36.85667°N 76.30667°WCoordinates: 36°51′24″N 76°18′24″W / 36.85667°N 76.30667°W |
| Area | 4 acres (1.6 ha) |
| Built | 1795 |
| NRHP Reference # | 76002225 |
| VLR # | 122-0007 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 29, 1976 |
| Designated VLR | December 16, 1975 |
Fort Norfolk is a historic fort and national historic district located at Norfolk, Virginia. With the original buildings having been built between 1795 and 1809, the fort encompasses 11 contributing buildings which include: main gate, guardhouse, officers' quarters, powder magazine, and carpenter's shop. Fort Norfolk is the last remaining fortification of President George Washington’s 18th Century harbor defenses. It has served as the district office for the U. S. Army Engineer District, Norfolk since 1923.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Later it became a Virginia Landmark in 2013. Now it is preserved as a historic fort and is open to the public during the summer.
Although private property at the time, the site of Fort Norfolk was first fortified by citizens of Norfolk during the U.S. Revolutionary War in order provide harbor defense. The fort is located at a point where the Elizabeth River narrows and was used in conjunction with Fort Nelson on the opposite bank of the river in Portsmouth. This was done with the aims to provide a cross fire for any ships that would attempt to bombard and/or conduct an amphibious assault on Norfolk or Portsmouth. Ultimately this failed as these positions were too weak to prevent a naval bombardment on Norfolk, later known as the Burning of Norfolk, by Lord Dunmore on January 1, 1776.
Congress authorized President George Washington to build defensive fortifications along what they determined the "Maritime Frontier" in order to defend American harbors. In 1795, construction began on Fort Norfolk. It was originally built with earthen walls and utilized either wooden or brick supports. The northern, eastern, and southern facing sides are designed after a Vauban style star fort. The western side resembles a half moon shape and is called a semicircular bastion. This was an experimental design and the purpose was to maximize the number of cannon overlooking the river. While the design of a semicircular bastion is vulnerable to a land assault, this section of the fort is on the eastern bank of the Elizabeth River; therefore, it is not susceptible to a land assault.
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