{"nrhp_refnum":"66000920","name":"St. John's Episcopal Church","other_names":["New Church","Church on Richmond Hill"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"E. Broad St. between 24th and 25th Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Richmond (Independent City)","county":"Richmond (city and county)","state":"VA","lat":37.53147548150005,"lon":-77.41966337180673,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1966-10-15","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1961-01-20","areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"St. John's Episcopal Church, also called the New Church or Church on Richmond Hill, is a church building at East Broad Street and 25th Street in Richmond, Virginia. The original structure was built in 1740-41 on land donated by Col. William Byrd.","why_significant":"On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry delivered his \"Liberty or Death\" speech here during the Virginia Convention. The speech moved the convention from conciliation to adopting resolutions that put the colony in a state of defense. The church is one of Richmond's most noted historic sites.","narrative":"St. John's Episcopal Church stands on a two-acre plot in Richmond, Virginia, shared with its cemetery. The first building went up in 1740-41 on land given by Col. William Byrd, a plain rectangle 25 by 40 feet, and it remained the city's only Episcopal church until 1814. A nave and belfry were added in 1772. In March 1775 the Virginia Convention met in this \"New Church\" because it was the largest building in town. About 120 delegates attended, among them George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and George Wythe. On March 23 Patrick Henry delivered his \"Liberty or Death\" speech, which turned the gathering from conciliation toward preparing the colony's defense. The building has been altered several times since, including a larger nave and a vestry room in 1880 that gave it a cross shape, and a spire replaced in 1896. The churchyard holds the graves of George Wythe and Elizabeth Arnold Poe, and about 60,000 people visit each year.","period_of_significance":"18th Century (specific date 3/23/1775)","architect_builder":"Richard Randolph (builder of the original church, per the bibliography notes)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Active church in good condition, altered several times since 1772; the exterior is in need of paint but appears structurally sound.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.515965-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/45/6791/41679145/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/66000920_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000920/1cb11bd9ac-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000920/1cb11bd9ac-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Skyring","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:StJohnsRichmond.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Skyring</a>, <a href=\"http://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:StJohnsRichmond.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"70000884","name":"St. John's Church Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/st-johns-church-historic-district-70000884/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41679145","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John%27s_Episcopal_Church_(Richmond,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2319561"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/richmond/st-johns-episcopal-church-66000920/"}