{"nrhp_refnum":"01001519","name":"Johnson, Dr. Robert Walker, House and Tennis Court","other_names":["VDHR no. 118-0225-0077"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1422 Pierce St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lynchburg (Independent City)","county":"Lynchburg","state":"VA","lat":37.41196641400006,"lon":-79.15025813199998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-01-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation","Black"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1911 American Foursquare house, a garage, and the site of a 1930s clay tennis court on a double lot at 1422 Pierce Street in the South Diamond Hill neighborhood of Lynchburg, Virginia. The house was designed by James T. McLaughlin.","why_significant":"Dr. Robert Walter Johnson, a Black surgeon and civil rights figure, built the tennis court after arriving in Lynchburg in 1933 and ran a summer tennis camp here. Through the American Tennis Association's Junior Development Program he trained and supported young African American players, including Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe. The nomination argues national significance in recreation and ethnic heritage.","narrative":"This property in Lynchburg's South Diamond Hill neighborhood combines a 1911 American Foursquare house, a rear garage, and the site of a clay tennis court built in the 1930s. Architect James T. McLaughlin designed the two-story frame house, which has a hipped roof, a front dormer and a full-width porch. The adjacent raised lot still shows the court's grading and two metal net posts, along with a small commemorative marker. Dr. Robert Walter Johnson, a surgeon who came to Lynchburg in 1933, built the court and used it for a summer tennis camp. As a leader in the American Tennis Association and founder of its Junior Development Program, he recruited young Black players, housed and equipped them, and drove them to tournaments along the East Coast. Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe were among those he coached and supported. The property was listed for its links to Johnson's work in recreation and Black achievement between 1933 and 1971.","period_of_significance":"1933-1971","architect_builder":"McLaughlin, James T.","architectural_style":"Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements: American Foursquare","criteria":["A","B"],"status_note":"The house and garage are described as in excellent condition with a high level of integrity. The tennis court's fencing, nets, lights and scoreboard are gone, but the grading and metal net posts remain. The form lists the current function as vacant or not in use.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:59.964024-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/31/6818/41681831/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/01001519.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01001519/cfe75a5f73-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01001519/cfe75a5f73-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Pubdog (talk)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Johnson_House_Lynchburg_Nov_08.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Pubdog (talk)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Johnson_House_Lynchburg_Nov_08.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41681831","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Robert_Walter_Johnson_House_and_Tennis_Court","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5304352"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/lynchburg/johnson-dr-robert-walker-house-and-tennis-court-01001519/"}