Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 12/11/1990
NRHP Listing Date 02/05/1991
NRHP Reference Number 91000022
On a promontory above the James, Oregon Hill encompasses an intact working-class neighborhood begun in the mid-19th century. Between 1850 and 1860, local industries and population grew until Richmond was the second largest city in the South and preeminent in industrial production. In the aftermath of the war, it was the Oregon Hill workers who gave their skills to resuscitate the devastated city and restore its industries. A tight-knit community, Oregon Hill was bound together by the common desire of its residents for a better life achieved through the work of their own hands. In the 1860s and ’70s, the expanding need for laborers in riverside industries intensified development here. Still a cohesive neighborhood, Oregon Hill is characterized by unified streetscapes of mostly simple Italianate rowhouses but including both antebellum and later dwellings. Several houses are protected by preservation easements.
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: August 10, 2021
