The Times Square of the South, one of the first suburban shopping centers in the country.
Wards Corner was the place to be in the 1950s and 60s. The retail faded; the neighborhoods around it did not. Brick ranches and Cape Cods on quiet streets, less than four miles from Naval Station Norfolk, at prices that still start under the Norfolk median.
Read the transcript
Ward’s Corner was booming in the 50s and 60s. It had a lot of retail and was the go-to place, the white glove Friday night type of place. It was actually known as Times Square of the South, one of the first suburban shopping centers ever in the United States. It attracted a lot of people.
Wards Corner, Norfolk: the neighborhoods behind the intersection, and what they cost
Wards Corner is the crossroads of north Norfolk: Granby Street meets Little Creek Road about five miles north of downtown and less than four miles from the gates of Naval Station Norfolk. Most people know it as a shopping district. The real story is the ring of neighborhoods around it, built between about 1940 and 1969, where a Navy family can own a brick ranch or a Cape Cod on a real lot and still be at the base in minutes. I have closed 7 homes in ZIP 23505, from a Monticello Village Cape Cod to a Riverpoint home on the Lafayette, and 96 across Norfolk. This page is the area as I actually sell it.
From a general store to the Times Square of the South
The name is literal. Alfred C. Ward opened a general store at Little Creek Road and Granby Street in 1910, later sold Michelin tires there, and hung a banner that read “Meet Mr. Ward at Ward’s Corner.” The corner outlived the store.
The short version
- 1910 Alfred C. Ward opens his general store at the corner of Granby Street and what was then Sewell’s Point Road.
- 1947 Midtown Shopping Center opens, one of the first strip-style shopping centers on the East Coast. Roughly 10,000 people turn out and the lieutenant governor speaks.
- 1950s to 60s Hofheimer’s, Rice’s, Peoples Drug, Ben Franklin, the Suburban Theater and the Mercury Roller Rink. The district earns the nickname “Times Square of the South.” Hofheimer’s reportedly kept a live monkey in the window.
- 1980s to 90s Enclosed malls in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake and the arrival of I-64 pull the retail away. By the mid-1990s the tenant mix is more modest.
- 2004 City Council adopts the Greater Wards Corner Comprehensive Plan, commissioned in 2003.
- 2019 to 2023 An urban area development plan proposes new street connections, construction on parking fields and added upper floors; West Little Creek Road is resurfaced from Granby to Hampton Boulevard, finished in 2023.
Why the history matters to a buyer
Neighborhoods that were built around a 1947 shopping center were built for people who walked to it. That is why the streets off Granby and Little Creek have sidewalks, mature trees, and lots that are bigger than the newer parts of Norfolk, and why the housing stock is so consistent: most of it went up between 1940 and 1969, before the retail faded. The corner itself is on a city plan for redevelopment. The homes around it were never the problem.
The neighborhoods of Greater Wards Corner
“Wards Corner” on a listing usually means one of these. They share a ZIP (23505), a commute and an era, but they do not share a price.
Suburban Acres
The core of the area and where most of my Wards Corner closings are: mid-century Cape Cods and brick ranches on wide streets west of Granby. I have sold three homes here, from $215,000 in 2017 to $375,000 in 2019. The active civic league is one of the reasons it holds its value.
Talbot Park
The waterfront enclave off the Granby Street gateway, on the Lafayette River. Larger lots, water views and the highest prices in the area. Deep-water and tidal frontage both exist here; verify which one you are buying.
Titustown
Historic riverside community on the west side, with its own civic group (Concerned Citizens of Titustown) and some of the older housing stock around the corner.
Monticello Village
Smaller cottages and Cape Cods east of Granby, the most affordable entry into the area. My first Wards Corner closing was a 1942 Cape Cod here, VA-financed.
Denby Park, Cromwell Farms & Bolling Brook
The post-war subdivisions north and east toward Little Creek: 1950s and 60s ranches, carports and corner lots, the shortest drive to the Little Creek gate.
Belvedere, Sussex & Riverpoint
South and west toward the Lafayette: Belvedere’s 1940s brick homes (I closed one at $349,900 in 2020, VA), Sussex of Norfolk (a $330,000 VA closing in 2026) and Riverpoint, the peninsula on the river where my $740,000 closing in 2021 is the top of my 23505 record.
GuidesAll Norfolk · Ocean View · Naval Station Norfolk housing
ReadSuburban Acres · Lochaven on the Lafayette · Norfolk luxury waterfront · Homes near Naval Station Norfolk
What the houses are actually like
The stock
- Built 1940 to 1969, almost without exception. My seven 23505 closings were built in 1941, 1942, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1977 and 1977. Expect brick, plaster walls, hardwood under the carpet and a crawl space.
- Cape Cods and brick ranches dominate, with two-story colonials in Belvedere and Talbot Park and larger custom homes on the Riverpoint and Talbot Park water.
- Lots run larger than newer Norfolk subdivisions. Detached garages, carports and fenced yards are the norm.
- Sizes: my closings ran from 1,114 sq ft (Monticello Village) to 5,503 sq ft (Riverpoint). The typical Suburban Acres home is 1,400 to 2,100 sq ft.
- What to inspect on a 1950 house: the electrical panel and any knob-and-tube remnants, cast-iron drain lines, the crawl space for moisture, original windows, and the roof age. Budget for it; do not be scared off by it.
The price bands
- Entry: smaller cottages and Cape Cods in Monticello Village and the streets closest to the corner. My lowest 23505 closing was $145,000 in 2015; the ZIP median today is $378,000.
- Core: Suburban Acres, Belvedere, Sussex and the Little Creek-side subdivisions, where most sales land. My 2019 to 2026 closings here ran $330,000 to $375,000.
- Top: Talbot Park and Riverpoint on the Lafayette, where water frontage pushes prices well past the ZIP median. My Riverpoint closing was $740,000.
- Versus Virginia Beach: the same brick ranch ten minutes east costs meaningfully more. That gap is the whole reason to look here, and it is why Norfolk is the most VA-concentrated city in my record.
The base commute, and the VA loan here
Wards Corner exists because of the Navy. The neighborhoods filled up in the 1940s and 50s with people who worked at the base, and the commute has not changed: Hampton Boulevard or Granby Street north to the gates.
Base by base
- Naval Station Norfolk: less than 4 miles. Hampton Boulevard from the west side of the area, or Granby and Little Creek Road from the east. This is the shortest drive to the world’s largest naval base from a neighborhood with real yards.
- JEB Little Creek: straight east on Little Creek Road. The Denby Park and Cromwell Farms side of the area is closest.
- Naval Medical Center Portsmouth: downtown and across the tunnel; plan on 25 to 35 minutes depending on the tunnel.
- NAS Oceana: the long one, across the city on I-64 and I-264. Buyers at Oceana usually look in Virginia Beach instead.
GuidesNaval Station Norfolk · JEB Little Creek · PCS guide + BAH calculator
Using the VA benefit on a 1950 house
- It works here. Four of my seven 23505 closings were VA-financed, and 57% of my 96 Norfolk closings were. Sellers in this area expect VA offers.
- The appraiser will look at: peeling paint on a pre-1978 home, roof condition, crawl-space moisture, and any broken windows or missing handrails. Sellers who fix those before listing keep the deal on schedule.
- No flood surprise on most of it. The core neighborhoods sit inland; Talbot Park, Riverpoint and the Lafayette frontage are the exception. Check the FEMA zone on anything near the water and get a quote before you write.
- Buying to rent later: if there is a chance you PCS out in three years, run the break-even before the offer. Owning under two years is a math problem.
ReadRent or sell after PCS · First-time VA buyer guide · VA assumable mortgage calculator
Wards Corner market: October 2026
ZIP 23505 covers Greater Wards Corner and the neighborhoods along the Lafayette. Redfin, three months ending September 30, 2026, compared with the same period a year earlier.
| Measure | ZIP 23505 | Norfolk (city) |
|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $378,000 | $331,842 |
| Change, year over year | +8.0% | +0.7% |
| Median days on market (last year) | 25 (32) | 31 (30) |
| Sale-to-list ratio | 99.6% | 99.1% |
| Homes sold in September | 76 (83 last year) | 876 in the quarter |
Read it this way: Wards Corner is outrunning the city. The ZIP median is about $46,000 above Norfolk’s and rising eight times faster, and homes here go to contract a week sooner. The reason is the one this page keeps coming back to: real lots, brick houses and a four-mile commute, at a price Virginia Beach cannot match.
Redfin’s homes-sold figure for a ZIP is a single-month count; the city figure is the three-month total. Updated monthly with the site-wide refresh.
My Wards Corner record
Every closing I have recorded in ZIP 23505, from the REIN MLS record inside the 13-year transaction study. Nothing is estimated.
| Closed | Neighborhood | Price | Sq ft | Built | Days to contract | Financing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Monticello Village | $145,000 | 1,114 | 1942 | 117 | VA |
| 2017 | Suburban Acres | $215,000 | 1,423 | 1977 | 3 | Conventional |
| 2018 | Suburban Acres | $255,000 | 1,423 | 1977 | 7 | VA |
| 2019 | Suburban Acres | $375,000 | 2,125 | 1952 | 108 | Cash |
| 2020 | Belvedere | $349,900 | 2,099 | 1941 | 53 | VA |
| 2021 | Riverpoint | $740,000 | 5,503 | 1949 | 22 | Conventional |
| 2026 | Sussex of Norfolk | $330,000 | 1,700 | 1947 | 35 | VA |
The 2017 and 2018 Suburban Acres sales are the same 1,423 sq ft house: bought at $215,000, resold a year later at $255,000. The 2018 Suburban Acres resale and the 2021 Riverpoint sale were my own listings; on the 2019 Suburban Acres sale I represented both sides; on the others I represented the buyer.
Buying or selling in Wards Corner
If you’re buying
- Pick the neighborhood, not the ZIP. Suburban Acres and Monticello Village are different products at different prices, and Talbot Park is a different market entirely.
- Drive the commute at 6:30 AM. Hampton Boulevard and Granby both work; one of them will suit your gate and your shift.
- Budget for the age. A 1950 house with a new roof and updated panel is a great buy. One with neither is a negotiation, not a pass.
- Move fast on the good ones. 25 days median on market and 99.6% of list means the well-kept Cape Cod on a corner lot does not sit. Two of my 23505 closings went to contract in a week.
- Check the water. Anything in Talbot Park, Riverpoint or along the Lafayette needs the flood zone and an insurance quote before the offer.
If you’re selling
- Your buyer is probably VA. 57% of my Norfolk closings were. Fix the peeling paint, the handrail and the roof leak before listing, and the appraisal will not slow you down.
- Price to the street. A Suburban Acres comp does not price a Monticello Village cottage, and neither prices Talbot Park. I pull the specific block.
- Show the lot. The yard, the garage and the mature trees are what Virginia Beach buyers at this price cannot get. Photograph them.
- List in spring. Homes I listed in May reached contract in a median of 19 days across my record; October listings took 55.
- If it already failed once, relist below the old price, never above, and fix the positioning. A failed listing is a positioning problem, not a house problem.
Questions I get about Wards Corner
Where exactly is Wards Corner?
The intersection of Granby Street and Little Creek Road in north-central Norfolk, about five miles north of downtown and less than four miles from Naval Station Norfolk. “Greater Wards Corner” means the neighborhoods around it: Suburban Acres, Talbot Park, Titustown, Denby Park, Monticello Village, Cromwell Farms and Bolling Brook, plus Belvedere, Sussex and Riverpoint toward the Lafayette River. Most of it is ZIP 23505.
How much do homes in Wards Corner cost?
The ZIP 23505 median sale price was $378,000 over the three months ending September 30, 2026, up 8.0% from a year earlier (Redfin), against $331,842 for the city of Norfolk. Smaller cottages in Monticello Village start well below that; Suburban Acres and Belvedere cluster around the median; Talbot Park and Riverpoint waterfront run well above it. My own 23505 closings ran from $145,000 to $740,000.
Why is it called Wards Corner?
For Alfred C. Ward, who opened a general store at Little Creek Road and Granby Street in 1910 and later sold Michelin tires there under a banner that read “Meet Mr. Ward at Ward’s Corner.” The 1947 Midtown Shopping Center made the corner famous as the “Times Square of the South.”
How far is Wards Corner from Naval Station Norfolk?
Less than four miles, by Hampton Boulevard from the west side of the area or Granby Street and Little Creek Road from the east. JEB Little Creek is straight east on Little Creek Road. Naval Medical Center Portsmouth is 25 to 35 minutes depending on the tunnel.
Can I use a VA loan on a Wards Corner home?
Yes. Four of my seven closings in ZIP 23505 were VA-financed, and 57% of my 96 Norfolk closings were. On a 1940s or 50s home the appraiser will flag peeling paint, roof condition, crawl-space moisture, broken windows and missing handrails; sellers who address those before listing keep the deal on schedule.
What are the homes like?
Mostly built between 1940 and 1969: brick Cape Cods and ranches, two-story colonials in Belvedere and Talbot Park, and larger custom homes on the water in Riverpoint and Talbot Park. Lots are larger than newer Norfolk subdivisions, with detached garages and fenced yards. My closings ran from 1,114 to 5,503 sq ft.
Is Wards Corner in a flood zone?
The core neighborhoods around the intersection sit inland. Talbot Park, Riverpoint and the streets along the Lafayette River are the exception; check the FEMA zone and get an insurance quote on anything near the water before making an offer.
How fast do homes sell in Wards Corner?
A median of 25 days on market in ZIP 23505 over the three months ending September 30, 2026, down from 32 a year earlier, with homes selling at 99.6% of list. In my own 23505 record the median was 35 days to contract, and two sales went under contract within a week.
Which neighborhood is best for a Navy family?
That depends on the gate and the budget. The Denby Park and Cromwell Farms side is closest to Little Creek; Suburban Acres and the Hampton Boulevard side are closest to Naval Station Norfolk; Monticello Village is the most affordable entry; Talbot Park is the waterfront. I walk through all of them with buyers, and the right answer usually comes down to the commute and the lot.
How many homes have you sold in Wards Corner?
Seven in ZIP 23505, totaling $2.41 million: three in Suburban Acres, and one each in Monticello Village, Belvedere, Sussex of Norfolk and Riverpoint, between 2015 and 2026. All are inside the 13-year transaction study on this site and verifiable by any agent with REIN MLS access.
Wards Corner and Norfolk reading
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John King · Navy veteran, Machinist Mate · REALTOR® with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices RW Towne Realty · License #0225211050 · Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Luxury Collection Specialist