{"nrhp_refnum":"72001508","name":"Lynchburg Courthouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"9th St. between Court and Church Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lynchburg (Independent City)","county":"Lynchburg","state":"VA","lat":37.41367623700006,"lon":-79.14434068299994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1972-05-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Greek Revival courthouse of stucco-over-brick on a granite ashlar basement, on Ninth Street between Court and Church Streets in Lynchburg, Virginia, built in 1855 on the summit of Court House Hill.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it an outstanding example of Greek Revival public architecture, designed by Andrew Ellison, Jr. to exploit its hilltop site above the James River port. Together with Monument Terrace it forms one of the most impressive urban focal points in Virginia. It is also the second courthouse on the site and was an early adopter of gas and electric lighting.","narrative":"Crowning a hill above Lynchburg's James River port, this stucco-over-brick courthouse rests on a granite ashlar basement and is topped by a shallow dome with a small open belfry. Completed in 1855 to a design by Andrew Ellison, Jr., and built by Hallet and Mace for $22,000, it replaced the town's first courthouse on the same summit. A three-bay Doric portico fronts the building, and the pediment holds a clock shipped from Boston in 1833 and earlier used by a local church. Inside, curving stairs with walnut handrails rise from a transverse hall, and the first-floor courtroom has cast iron Corinthian columns. The building was among the first in Lynchburg to have gas lighting in 1876 and electric lighting eight years later. Monument Terrace, a granite staircase designed in 1924, leads up to it, and the pair form a notable urban focal point. A newer courthouse opened in 1955, and the old building now houses the Juvenile and Domestic Courts.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (specific date 1855)","architect_builder":"Andrew Ellison, Jr. (architect); built by the firm of Hallet and Mace","architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Marked occupied and in fair condition, unaltered, on its original site. A third courthouse was built in 1955, and the old courthouse houses the Juvenile and Domestic Courts.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:58.13363-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/87/6817/41681787/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/72001508.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72001508/f546f5bccc-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72001508/f546f5bccc-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Pubdog (talk)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lynchburg_Courthouse_Nov_08.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Pubdog (talk)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lynchburg_Courthouse_Nov_08.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41681787","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynchburg_Courthouse","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6708471"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/lynchburg/lynchburg-courthouse-72001508/"}