Shockoe Slip Historic District (Boundary Increase III)
The National Park Service has not published a boundary polygon for this district; the map shows the listed properties inside it and the district's reference point.
Why it's listed
This southern expansion of the Shockoe Slip Historic District in Richmond takes in the remaining historic industrial buildings between the Downtown Expressway and the north bank of the James River. Four brick warehouses built between about 1886 and 1910 served the tobacco trade, and R.J. Reynolds occupied them by 1924. A Classical Revival hydroelectric plant of about 1898 generated power for the city's electric streetcars. The Haxall Canal, first built as a mill race for flour mills around 1789, was rebuilt to supply that plant. An 1860 granite-paved arched bridge once linked the area to Shockoe Slip. The most prominent building is a four-story Italianate warehouse with a five-story central tower. Two 1970s metal-clad warehouses and a relocated 1907 memorial cross do not contribute. The area was listed because it shows Richmond's tobacco, flour-milling and electric-power industries and preserves durable brick, concrete and stone industrial design. The expressway built in the 1970s obscured its original link to the Slip.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | 1800-1933 (unchanged) |
|---|---|
| Styles | Late Victorian: Italianate; Industrial vernacular; Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Classical Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development, Commerce |
| Acreage | 3.5 |
| Boundary source | not published |
| Full listing page | Shockoe Slip Historic District (Boundary Increase III) (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.