Past Saves
Since its inception, Historic Richmond Foundation has saved dozens of historic structures from demolition. Preserving the built environment ensures a heritage for the future of Richmond. The following are only a few examples of the structures that we have saved over the years:
Meredith House, Saved 2012
133 West Jackson Street, Richmond VA, 23220
Bulit 1813
The Meredith House is the second oldest house in Jackson Ward, built before 1813. It is located at 133 West Jackson Street, Richmond, Virginia 23220, one block north of the Armory. In 2008, at the request of Historic Richmond Foundation, the city initiated spot blight abatement of property. Historic Richmond Foundation has recently bought the property from the city and will begin rehabbing the property with ARK Construction. The house will be rehabbed into 2 two bedroom apartments.
Byrd Park Pump House, Saved 2004
Pump House Drive, Located in Pump House/Three Mile Lock Park, Richmond VA, 23221
Built 1882
Gothic Revival. This stone building served two purposes: as a pumping station to take water from the James River to the Byrd Park reservoir, and as an open air public dance hall. The dance floor was located on the second floor above the pump room. Canal boats once brought revelers up the Pump House for parties. The park is located among three of the county's oldest canals. Located in the Three Mile Lock Park is the "Lower Arch," which is the entrance to the first operating canal system in the United States. The park is open but the building is closed to the public.
Superior Warehouse, Saved 2000
2401 East Franklin Street, Richmond VA, 23222
Built 1850
Victorian, Folk. This warehouse is attached to the Pohlig Brothers Building, built in 1853, at 2405-2419 East Franklin Street. It was threatened by demolition in 2000, and has since been renovated as an apartment building with business and retail space.
Allen Double House, Saved 1995
4 & 6 East Main Street, Richmond VA, 23219
Built 1836
Greek Revival. Built by William Allen, it is one of the earliest buildings in Monroe Ward and was rennovated in 2004 as part of HRF's mission to revitalize Monroe Ward. HRF's headquarters are now located in 4 East Main street. Four rental apartments are on the upper floors.
National Theater, Saved 1991
704 East Broad Street, Richmond VA, 23219
Built 1922
Italian Renaissance Revival. This theater is located outside of the Broad Street Historic District. It features an Italianate exterior with Adamesque interior. C.K. Howell was the architect. The interior plaster work was done by Ferruccio Legnaioli. HRF and Preservation Virginia purchased and saved the building from demolition in 1989. The National is now a well-known music venue.
Monumental Church, Saved 1983
1224 East Broad Street, Richmond VA, 23223
Built between 1812-1814
Neo-Classical. On December 26, 1811, a fire at the Richmond Theater claimed the lives of over seventy-two people, including the governor.Robert Mills, America's first native-born professional architect and student of Thomas Jefferson, designed Monumental Church. The Church is an unusual octagonal form capped with a dome. The monument under the front portico is inscribed with the names of the dead. Monumental Church served as an Episcopal Church until 1965 when it was given to the MCV Foundation. It is now owned by Historic Richmond Foundation. An interior paint restoration has been completed, and the grounds have been restored. The church is available for weddings and open by appointment only.
Old City Hall, Saved 1981
1001 East Broad Street, Richmond VA, 23219
Built between 1887-1894
High Victorian Gothic. In complete contrast to Jefferson's calm, classical Capitol, architect Elijah E. Meyers desighned this paean to Victorian architecture. It's highly articulated roof-line explodes with turrets, towers, and finials. The building is made of Richmond granite. The interior is as highly decorated as the exterior and contains cast iron stairs and arcades made by Richmonder Asa Snyder. Threatened by demolition in the 1970s, the building was acquired by the state and leased to Historic Richmond Foundation, and in 1971 it was made a National Historic Landmark. The Foundation sublet the building to developers who have since created office spaces. The first floor is open to the public.
Stewart-Lee House, Saved 1980
707 East Franklin Street, Richmond VA, 23219
Built 1844
Greek Revival. Built by wealthy merchant Norman Stewart, Robert E. Lee's family lived in the house during a portion of the Civil War. Once a part of a row of town houses in a residential neighborhood, this is the lone survivor, standing amongst mid-century architecture today. HRF's headquarters were located here; the space has been renovated into offices.
Belle-Bossieux Building, Saved March 19, 1980
101-109 North 18th Street, Richmond VA, 23223
Built 1878
Italianate. Built by Edmund Bossieux and named for his wife, Belle. Shops and restaurants are located below the cast-iron gallery with living space above. This building's restoration was partially financed by Historic Richmond Foundation to serve as a catalyst for revitalization in Shockoe Valley.
Linden Row, Saved 1979
100-114 East Franklin Street, Richmond VA, 23219
Built between 1847-1853
Greek Revival. Linden Row is an extraordinary example of row houses. Originally it contained twelve houses, but two houses at the east end were torn down to make room for an office building. The remainder was saved by preservationist Mary Winfield Scott founder of Historic Richmond Foundation. HRF holds covenants to protect amd maintain the architectural integrity of the buildings. The houses are now operated as a hotel-The Linden Row Inn. Former slave dwellings are located behind the hotel.
Woodward House, Saved August 8, 1977
3017 Williamsburg Avenue, Richmond VA, 23223
Built 1784
Vernacular. Located below Libby Hill Park and Church Hill, this house is the last surviving structure from the once bustling port with a tobacco warehouse and inspection station. Captain John Woodward's house was located in a neighborhood of sailors, sea captains, craftsmen, laborers and tavern owners. Enlarged over the years from a two-room cottage, the house is believed to incorporate the oldest frame dwelling in the city.
St. John's Mews, Saved 1965
Garden in the alley behind the 2300 block of East Broad, Richmond VA, 23223
Built 1965
The Mews was created in 1965 as a community garden through the collaboration of Historic Richmond Foundation and the Garden Club of Virginia. It includes a granite spall paved alley, a cast-iron summer house and a brick wall with five panels of cast iron. Some of the cast iron was rescued from junk yards and demolished houses.
Adams Double House, Saved April 29, 1960
2501-2503 East Grace Street, Richmond VA, 23223
Built 1809
Federal. The earliest surviving double house in Richmond; built by Dr. John Adams, who helped initiate development in this area through his real estate holdings. The porches are Victorian additions as is the shop entrance in the basement wall. Note Flemish brick bond and jack arches over the windows.
Carrington Row, Saved 1958-1961
2307-2309-2311 East Broad Street, Richmond VA, 23223
Built 1818
Neo-Classical. Built by the three sons of Ann Adams Carrington, it is the earliest existing example of connected row houses in Richmond. The facade is brick covered with stucco to stimulate stone. The differing entrances reflect style changes made over the years: Federal, Greek Revival, and Victorian.
St. John's Church, Saved 1965
St. John's Church District, Richmond VA, 23223
Built 1741
St. John's Church is the center of Richmond's first historic district. The church stands on land that Richmond's founder, William Byrd II, donated in 1737. Major William Mayo was commissioned to lay out the streets and plots that became Church Hill. Church Hill is the oldest intact neighborhood in the city and contains the most antebellum structures in Richmond. The historic district was established in 1957 through the efforts of Historic Richmond Foundation. The Foundation started revitalization efforts by working with one city block, called the pilot block, to show how the entire neighborhood could be renewed and restored.
The Pilot Block, Saved 1956
East Broad Street to East Grace Street and 23rd Street to 24th Street, Richmond VA
The block chosen for Historic Richmond Foundation's Church Hill revitalization program in 1956 was given the name "the pilot block". It clearly illustrates the variety of styles found within the neighborhood.