{"nrhp_refnum":"11000035","name":"Virginia University of Lynchburg","other_names":["Lynchburg Baptist Seminary","Virginia Seminary","Vdhr 118-5297","Virginia Theological Seminary &amp","College"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"2058 Garfield Ave","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lynchburg","county":"Lynchburg","state":"VA","lat":37.39491465000003,"lon":-79.15288067199998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2011-02-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Black","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A historically African American college campus district at 2058 Garfield Avenue in southern Lynchburg, Virginia, founded in 1888. It contains three historic academic buildings from 1917 to 1946 and a monument on 6.82 acres.","why_significant":"The campus is significant for education and Black ethnic heritage as a school that became largely independent of white control and funding under its second president, Gregory W. Hayes. It is also significant for architecture, chiefly Humbles Hall, designed by African American architect Romulus C. Archer, Jr. Its period of significance runs 1888-1960.","narrative":"Virginia University of Lynchburg occupies a 6.82-acre campus in the Seminary Hill neighborhood of southern Lynchburg, a traditionally African American area. Founded in 1888 as a Baptist seminary, it grew into a college led by African Americans. Three historic brick buildings remain: Graham Hall (1917), a one-story former dining hall; Humbles Hall (1920-21), a two-story Beaux Arts building with corner towers, terra-cotta trim and a 900-seat auditorium; and the Mary Jane Cachelin Memorial Science and Library Building (1946). A limestone bust of president Gregory W. Hayes, erected after his death in 1906, stands where Hayes Hall once stood. Hayes resisted white control of the school and kept academic courses in the curriculum despite pressure to teach only trades. Humbles Hall was designed by Romulus C. Archer, Jr., a Washington, D.C., African American architect. The campus is recognized for its role in Black education and for its architecture.","period_of_significance":"1888-1960","architect_builder":"Romulus C. Archer, Jr. (Humbles Hall)","architectural_style":"Beaux Arts; Colonial Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still used as a college. Graham Hall, the former dining hall, is currently used for storage. Hayes Hall and Fox Hall were demolished in 1988.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:03.11435-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/13/6818/41681813/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/11000035.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/11000035/0bb41dfb39-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/11000035/0bb41dfb39-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Everettoptions","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VUL_Sign.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Everettoptions</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VUL_Sign.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41681813","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_University_of_Lynchburg","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7934641"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/lynchburg/virginia-university-of-lynchburg-11000035/"}