Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 06/14/2000
NRHP Listing Date 07/05/2001
NRHP Reference Number 01000701
Cary Street Park and Shop Center, designed by Richmond architect Carl Messerschmidt in 1938, and developed and built by forward-thinking Richmond coal merchant Julian H. Dillon, was the first shopping center in the city of Richmond and one of the first in the South. It occupies a two-block area on the north side of West Cary Street in a linear, mile-long retail area now known as Carytown. The Cary Street Park and Shop Center combines architectural elements of both the Art Deco and International Style genres. The two-acre complex contains about 16 shops (the number varies) to form a horizontally elongated “U” around the parking lot. The shopping center is a well-preserved example of the “Park and Shop” paradigm for suburban retail complexes that appeared in the 1930s and changed the face of urban America.
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 20, 2021
