Lower Basin Historic District (Boundary Increase II)

Lynchburg's Lower Basin is a warehouse and factory district lying between downtown and the James River. It takes its name from a broad basin of the James River and Kanawha Canal, and it includes 60 contributing buildings, a stone bridge, a concrete viaduct and a monument marking the site of Lynch's Ferry. Most buildings are multi-story brick warehouses, factories and commercial blocks from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with details such as corbeled cornices, arched windows and decorative parapets. Railroad freight depots built in the 1880s and 1890s, the 1839 Ninth Street Bridge and the 1916-1918 Williams Viaduct reflect the area's transportation history. The district developed as the waterfront moved from canal traffic to railroads. Lynchburg became a jobbing center where goods from northern manufacturers were stocked for southern markets, and the Craddock-Terry Shoe Corporation became the city's largest employer. Modern grain silos and several newer buildings do not contribute to its historic character.