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 06/04/1969
NRHP Reference Number 69000357
The finely-articulated Greek Revival style St. Paul’s Church was designed by Philadelphia architect Thomas S. Stewart. Completed in 1845, the temple-form building, located near Capitol Square in Richmond, is fronted by a portico in the Greek Corinthian order, employing capitals of cast iron. The spacious interior of St. Paul’s Church is dominated by a richly ornamented Greek Revival ceiling. Except for the removal of a spire, the deepening of the apse, and the installation of stained-glass windows, several from the Tiffany studios, the church remains little changed. Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and many Virginia governors have regularly worshiped here. It was at St. Paul’s, on April 2, 1865, that President Davis received word that General Lee no longer could hold the lines at Petersburg and thus defend the capital, a message that resulted in the immediate evacuation of the Confederate government from Richmond. St. Paul’s continues as one the state’s leading Episcopal parishes.
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: May 3, 2022
