Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 11/05/1968
NRHP Listing Date 10/01/1969
NHL Listing Date 11/11/1971
NRHP Reference Number 69000327
Richmond’s Old City Hall, one of the nation’s foremost examples of the High Victorian Gothic style, was designed by the Detroit architect Elijah E. Myers, architect of five state capitols. With its fairy-tale skyline and profusion of carved ornament, the four-story building forms a dramatic backdrop for Capitol Square. Built of Richmond granite, the massive structure was completed in 1894 and at once became a symbol of the city’s recovery from the Civil War and Reconstruction. It was built primarily by black laborers under the supervision of City Engineer Col. Wilfred E. Cutshaw. The interior court is an extraordinary composition of tiers of Gothic arcades and flights of stairs all in cast iron. The building was sold to the state in 1981 and is leased through the Historic Richmond Foundation to private developers who restored the building for commercial offices.
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: March 19, 2019
