{"nrhp_refnum":"83003310","name":"Virginia, The","other_names":["1 North Fifth Street"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1 N. Fifth St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Richmond (Independent City)","county":"Richmond (city and county)","state":"VA","lat":37.540399242000035,"lon":-77.43949916799994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-02-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A five-story white brick office-and-apartment building at the northeast corner of Main and 5th Streets in downtown Richmond, Virginia, erected in 1906 as headquarters of the Virginia State Insurance Company.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building was unique in Richmond for combining insurance offices, apartments and professional offices, a mix never attempted again. Its restrained yet inventive classical design blends with the historic 5th Street neighborhood, including the 1809 Caskie House and the Gothic Revival Second Presbyterian Church. It is presented as a monument to inventive turn-of-the-century architectural thinking.","narrative":"Completed in 1906 at the corner of Main and 5th Streets in downtown Richmond, this five-story white brick building was built to house the Virginia State Insurance Company, then the city's second largest fire insurance firm. It also held high-quality apartments and professional offices, a combination found nowhere else in Richmond at the time. The classical facades are divided into a rusticated base, a three-story shaft and a deep cornice top, with brick quoins, limestone relief of the state seal and a curved corner entrance. The architect is unknown; N. W. Ancarrow, a company board member, served as contractor. The building is larger than its neighbors, which include an 1809 neo-classical mansion and an 1847 Gothic Revival church, yet its simple massing and restrained detail keep it harmonious with them. Apartments have since become offices, though the lobby, stairway and original layout remain visible. It was listed for its architecture and its role in the commerce of early twentieth-century Richmond.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"Architect unknown; contractor N. W. Ancarrow","architectural_style":"Classical","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and used for professional offices; apartments converted to offices. Exterior unchanged apart from 1960s aluminum entrances; condition rated excellent.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.711533-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/57/6829/41682957/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/83003310.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83003310/b969465af1-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83003310/b969465af1-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Morgan Riley","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Virginia_Building_Richmond_VA.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:The_Virginia_Building_Richmond_VA.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/41682957","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Virginia","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16902765"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/richmond/virginia-the-83003310/"}