Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 04/18/1989
NRHP Listing Date 12/19/1990
NRHP Reference Number 89001905
Graced by an able design, Christ Episcopal Church reflects the attention to architectural character usually found in late Victorian Episcopal churches, both large and small. The design was supplied by Baltimore architect T. Buckler Ghequiere, whose skill at adapting the Gothic style to small wooden buildings is also evident in St. Stephen’s Church, Northumberland County. Completed in 1892, Christ Church served the well-to-do citizens of the Wise County town of Big Stone Gap, a newly laid-out boom town in the coalfields of Southwest Virginia. With its vaulted interior sheathed in tongue-and-groove boards, the church shows the influence of the British Arts and Crafts movement. Insufficient funds prevented the exterior from being painted its intended dark straw color so a parishioner donated leftover red barn paint. His family continues the regular donation of red paint for the exterior to this day.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: November 18, 2021
