The Historic Preservation Committee helps fulfill the FDA’s purpose to preserve and protect the neighborhood’s architectural and historic character. The Fan District is a residential area of nearly 100 city blocks noted for its architectural cohesiveness and its role in Richmond's transformation from village to city.

Primarily designed between 1890 and 1930, The Fan District is one of the largest, and best preserved, turn-of-the-20th-century neighborhoods in Virginia, and in the United States.