1224 East Broad Street
On December 26, 1811, a fire at the Richmond Theater claimed the lives of 72 people, including the newly elected governor George Smith. Chief Justice John Marshall headed a committee to raise money to build a church over the common grave. Robert Mills, America’s first native-born professional architect and only student of Thomas Jefferson, designed Monumental Church.Â
The church is a wonderful example of Neo-Classical architecture. The building is an unusual octagonal made out of brick and Aquia sandstone with stucco finish and capped with a dome. It consists of a crypt and a church. The monument under the front portico is inscribed with the names of the deceased.Â
Monumental church served as an Episcopal Church until 1965 when it was deconsecrated and given to the MCV Foundation. It is now owned by Historic Richmond Foundation. Two phases of restoration have been completed and two more are in the early stages of development to preserve this National Historic Landmark.Â
For more information go to the Monumental Church page.
{Photo Credits: Interior shot, Richard Cheek for Historic Richmond Foundation; Exterior and interior stair shots, Monumental Church National Register Nomination, VA Department of Historic Resources; Exterior dome and column shots, HRF archives}
