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 04/16/1969
NHL Listing Date 11/11/1971
DHR's Virginia Board of Historic Resources easement
NRHP Reference Number 69000326
An architectural landmark of national significance, Monumental Church was built in 1812-14 as a memorial to seventy-two people who perished in an 1811 theater fire at this site. Its architect, Robert Mills, studied under both Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Henry Latrobe and combined elements favored by both his mentors. The octagonal form and Delorme-type dome were features admired by Jefferson. The Greek Doric order and the refined, highly personalized classical details were hallmarks of Latrobe’s work. Mills’s design heralded a new approach for the state’s ecclesiastical architecture, treating the interior as an auditorium with the principal focus on the pulpit. Monumental Church served an Episcopal parish until 1965 when it became a chapel for the Medical College of Virginia. The building is now owned by the Historic Richmond Foundation.
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: October 13, 2021
