{"nrhp_refnum":"01000439","name":"Belgian Building","other_names":["William J. Clark Library and Barco-Stevens Hall","Belgian Pavilion"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Lombardy St., jct. with Brook Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Richmond (Independent City)","county":"Richmond (city and county)","state":"VA","lat":37.56233363200005,"lon":-77.45003069999996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1970-02-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story, flat-roofed, U-shaped library and gymnasium building on the Virginia Union University campus at Lombardy Street and Brook Road in Richmond, Virginia. It was built in 1939 as the Belgian Pavilion at the New York World's Fair and re-erected in Richmond starting in 1941.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building has international architectural significance because of its architects and design quality. It was designed by Victor Bourgeois and Leo Stijnen under Henry van der Velde, and is described as a monument in America to the modernism of the 1930s and the International Style.","narrative":"Originally erected as the Belgian Pavilion at the 1939 World's Fair in New York City, this building now serves Virginia Union University in Richmond as a library, gymnasium and classroom complex. Architects Victor Bourgeois and Leo Stijnen designed it under Professor Henry van der Velde, a pioneer of modern architecture. After the outbreak of World War II prevented its planned move to a Belgian university, the Belgian ambassador presented it to the university in 1941. It was dismantled, shipped to Richmond and reassembled, with its corner stone laid on June 9, 1941. The U-shaped, one-story structure is faced in red Flemish tile above a black slate water table, materials chosen to symbolize Belgian unity. A slender slate-faced tower rises at one corner, and bas relief panels depict trade in the Belgian Congo and Belgium. Its clean lines and geometric massing exemplify the International Style, which is the basis of its recognized architectural importance.","period_of_significance":"20th Century","architect_builder":"Victor Bourgeois and Leo Stijnen, under the direction of Professor Henry van der Velde","architectural_style":"International Style","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied, in educational use, with restricted public access. Condition is given as fair and unaltered. A later grant application describes planned exterior and window restoration.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:58.186703-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/45/6830/41683045/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/01000439.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01000439/e4a8185829-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01000439/e4a8185829-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Unknown authorUnknown author","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Belgian_Building,_Lombardy_Street_%26_Brook_Road_(Richmond,_Independent_City,_Virginia).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Unknown authorUnknown author</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Belgian_Building,_Lombardy_Street_%26_Brook_Road_(Richmond,_Independent_City,_Virginia).jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"71000982","name":"James River and Kanawha Canal Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/james-river-and-kanawha-canal-historic-district-71000982/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41683045","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgian_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4882453"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/richmond/belgian-building-01000439/"}