Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 09/17/2009
NRHP Listing Date 12/23/2009
DHR's Virginia Board of Historic Resources easement
NRHP Reference Number 09001158
Constructed in 1895 in Richmond’s Jackson Ward neighborhood, the First Battalion Virginia Volunteers Armory, featuring brick towers and crenellation along the roof parapet, was built for an African American militia unit and is now the oldest of three identified black-affiliated armories in the U.S. It also is one of only two surviving armories in Richmond (along with the Blues Armory), where five such crenellated buildings once existed. After the black militia company who used it disbanded in 1899, the building housed the Monroe School for African American children from 1903 until World War II, when it was converted to a reception center for the thousands of black soldiers who passed though its doors between 1942-45. After World War II, the First Battalion Virginia Volunteers Armory (also known as the Leigh Street Armory) reverted to use as an educational facility, serving as the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia.
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 19, 2022
