Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 09/18/1996
NRHP Listing Date 12/16/1996
DHR's Virginia Board of Historic Resources easement
NRHP Reference Number 96001454
Towering above its neighbors, both residential and commercial, the eleven-story William Byrd Hotel in Richmond proclaims the growing popularity of the steel-frame, high-rise architecture in the 1920s. The hotel was built in 1925 primarily to serve the patrons of the Broad Street railroad station directly across the street. It was designed by Marcellus E. Wright, Sr., one of the city’s leading architects, who embellished the exterior with a subtle, restrained classicism. When opened, the Richmond News Leader described the hotel as “a monument to Richmond energy, talent, and progressiveness.” For many years, the William Byrd Hotel and Broad Street Station formed travelers’ gateway image of Richmond. The hotel closed in the 1980s but was sensitively rehabilitated in 1996 for use as apartments for the elderly.
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: September 9, 2021
