{"nrhp_refnum":"69000357","name":"St. Paul's Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"815 E. Grace St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Richmond (Independent City)","county":"Richmond (city and county)","state":"VA","lat":37.539862268000036,"lon":-77.43495487599995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1969-06-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"St. Paul's Church is an Episcopal church building at 815 E. Grace Street, at the southwest corner of Ninth and Grace Streets in Richmond, Virginia, next to Capitol Square. It was completed in 1845 to designs by architect Thomas B. Stewart of Philadelphia.","why_significant":"The nomination calls the church a masterpiece of the Greek Revival style, with richer detail and ornament than most Greek Revival buildings of its time. It also has historical associations with Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee, and Davis received word of the need to evacuate Richmond while attending services there on April 2, 1865.","narrative":"St. Paul's Church stands at the corner of Ninth and Grace Streets in Richmond, beside Capitol Square. It was built in the 1840s for a new congregation formed when many members of Monumental Episcopal Church chose to move west to a more convenient site. Philadelphia architect Thomas B. Stewart designed the stuccoed brick building, which was completed in 1845. A Greek Corinthian portico with eight columns marks the front, while the main body follows the form of a Roman temple. The interior has Corinthian columns around the choir and apse, original pews, a three-sided gallery and a plaster relief ceiling. A cast iron fence, also designed by the architect, surrounds the building. The church is valued as a rich example of Greek Revival design and for its connection to Confederate history. Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee both worshipped there, and Davis learned of the need to abandon Richmond during a service on April 2, 1865.","period_of_significance":"1845 (19th century)","architect_builder":"Thomas B. Stewart of Philadelphia (architect)","architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed in good condition, occupied and in religious use; the statement describes it as having remained a most active parish.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:56.691714-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/79/6831/41683179/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/69000357.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/69000357/c9d7ded934-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/69000357/c9d7ded934-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Morgan Riley","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:StPaulsEpiscopalRichmond.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:StPaulsEpiscopalRichmond.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/41683179","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Paul%27s_Episcopal_Church_(Richmond,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7591122"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/richmond/st-pauls-church-69000357/"}