{"nrhp_refnum":"80004217","name":"St. Sophia Home of the Little Sisters of the Poor","other_names":["Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"16 N. Harvie St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Richmond (Independent City)","county":"Richmond (city and county)","state":"VA","lat":37.54739411300005,"lon":-77.45851525999996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-05-07","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion","Social History"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 3½-story brick former hospital and convent complex at 16 North Harvie Street in Richmond, Virginia, built around an 1832 farmhouse called Warsaw and enlarged between 1877 and 1894, with later additions.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is a rare Richmond example of late Victorian institutional architecture and an important part of the Fan District. It also encloses Warsaw, an 1832 farmhouse built for William Anderson. The Little Sisters of the Poor ran a charitable hospital there for ninety-nine years, and its Second Empire mansard roof is described as rare among Southern Reconstruction-period buildings.","narrative":"At 16 North Harvie Street in Richmond, a large brick complex grew from a brick farmhouse called Warsaw, built in 1832 for William Anderson. In 1876 Bishop James Gibbons bought Warsaw and four lots and gave them to the Little Sisters of the Poor, a Catholic order of nuns. The sisters converted the house into a charitable hospital and enlarged it in the Italianate style between 1877 and 1881. A convent wing followed in 1894, along with a mansard roof that added a fourth floor and gave the building a Second Empire character. A chapel, outbuildings, a stable and a brick retaining wall complete the grounds. Patients were admitted without regard to religion, nationality or race. The hospital was among the few major institutional buildings in Richmond in the 1870s, and the nomination calls it a rare surviving example of late Victorian institutional architecture and a significant element of the Fan District. The sisters left in 1976 after ninety-nine years of service in the neighborhood.","period_of_significance":"1832, 1877, 1881, 1894","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Italianate and Second Empire","criteria":[],"status_note":"The Little Sisters vacated the home in 1976. The form lists it as partially unoccupied, under new ownership and awaiting conversion into apartments.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:56.882643-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/35/6831/41683135/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/80004217.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80004217/86dfb3d3e0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80004217/86dfb3d3e0-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"VCU Libraries","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Little_Sisters_of_the_Poor,_Richmond,_Virginia.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">VCU Libraries</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Little_Sisters_of_the_Poor,_Richmond,_Virginia.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/41683135","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Sophia_Home_of_the_Little_Sisters_of_the_Poor","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16900617"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/richmond/st-sophia-home-of-the-little-sisters-of-the-poor-80004217/"}