{"nrhp_refnum":"07000767","name":"Department of Public Utilities Howard (Overbrook) Road Facility","other_names":["Vdhr # 127-6184"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1307, 1311, 1315, 1317, 1319 Overbrook Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Richmond (Independent City)","county":"Richmond (city and county)","state":"VA","lat":37.564529357000026,"lon":-77.45315730306558,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2007-07-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Community Planning and Development"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 2.35-acre complex of seven contributing buildings and one non-contributing building on Overbrook (formerly Howard) Road in Richmond, Virginia, begun in 1926 as the base for the city's Department of Public Utilities. It includes a meter repair building, auto repair shop, storehouse, a VEPCO building from 1925 and storage sheds.","why_significant":"The facility is tied to Richmond's rapid growth in the early to mid twentieth century, since the Department of Public Utilities built and maintained the city's gas and water infrastructure from here. The meter repair building is also noted as an early example of industrial design that combined an exposed concrete frame with brick infill panels, a type of construction linked to the development of modern architecture.","narrative":"Built from 1926 to consolidate the operations of Richmond's Department of Public Utilities, this complex on Overbrook Road, formerly Howard Road, served as the base for maintaining the city's gas and water systems. It holds a meter repair building, an auto repair shop, a storehouse, a two-story stuccoed building erected by Virginia Electric and Power Company in 1925, and a row of storage sheds. The meter repair building is the standout. Its expressed concrete frame filled with Flemish bond brick panels, topped by a slate gable roof, was an early use of a visible structural grid with masonry walls, a pairing associated with emerging modern architecture. Other buildings show brick pilasters, corbelled cornices and slate roofs. Some original steel windows and doors have been replaced, though the original uses remain readable. The property was recognized for its link to Richmond's expansion and for its architecture, with significance running from 1925 to 1957. The complex is now used for education.","period_of_significance":"1925 - 1957","architect_builder":"Kenneth M. Adelstein","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Colonial Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Now used as a school (current function listed as education); the buildings retain much original character with some window and door alterations.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:02.47467-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/11/6830/41683011/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/07000767.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/07000767/626ad0129a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/07000767/626ad0129a-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Morgan Riley","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OverbrookRoadFacilityRichmond.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Morgan Riley</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OverbrookRoadFacilityRichmond.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/41683011","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Public_Utilities_Howard_(Overbrook)_Road_Facility","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16956305"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/richmond/department-of-public-utilities-howard-overbrook-road-facility-07000767/"}