{"nrhp_refnum":"11000297","name":"Washington, George, Building","other_names":["Virginia State Office Building","VDHR File No. 127-6518"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1100 Bank St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Richmond (Independent City)","county":"Richmond (city and county)","state":"VA","lat":37.539673512000036,"lon":-77.43318328999999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2011-05-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Politics/Government"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A twelve-story, V-shaped Beaux Arts skyscraper at 1100 Bank Street on the southeast corner of Capitol Square in Richmond, Virginia, completed in 1923 and opened in 1924, with a circular fountain in front of it.","why_significant":"The nomination argues local significance under Criterion C as a fine, largely intact example of an early twentieth century Beaux Arts-Renaissance skyscraper, with its terra cotta cornice still in place. It also argues statewide significance under Criterion A as Virginia's first dedicated state office building, whose construction beside Jefferson's Capitol caused public controversy.","narrative":"Rising twelve stories at the southeast corner of Capitol Square in Richmond, the George Washington Building was designed by William Leigh Carneal Jr. and James Markam Ambler Johnston and completed in 1923. It opened on February 22, 1924, as the State Office Building, and took its present name in 1980. Its steel frame is clad in a stone base, a tan brick shaft and an elaborate terra cotta cornice, following the Italian palazzo and base-shaft-capital formula. A four-column Ionic portico echoes the Capitol and faces a historic circular fountain, which is counted as a contributing structure. Inside, the marble first-floor lobby, original steel stairs and brass mail chutes survive. The building was Virginia's first purpose-built state office building. Its height and location in the Capitol's viewshed sparked debate, and the design grew from eight stories to twelve before construction. It remains one of Richmond's most intact early skyscraper exteriors and has stayed in government office use.","period_of_significance":"1922-1960","architect_builder":"William Leigh Carneal Jr. (Architect); James Markam Ambler Johnston (Architect); Ferruccio Leguaili (Sculptor); John T. Wilson (Contractor)","architectural_style":"Skyscraper (Italian Renaissance/Beaux Arts)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still used as a state office building; renovated in 2008 with operable double-hung windows, restored entrance lamps and cleaned masonry.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:03.515494-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/21/6831/41683121/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/11000297.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/11000297/84497d86e7-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/11000297/84497d86e7-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.0","author":"Taber Andrew Bain from Richmond, VA, USA","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Washington_Building,_Capitol_District.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Taber Andrew Bain from Richmond, VA, USA</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Washington_Building,_Capitol_District.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/41683121","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16902962"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/richmond/washington-george-building-11000297/"}