West Broad Street Commercial Historic District

This stretch of West Broad Street in central Richmond holds 22 commercial buildings from about 1900 to the late 1930s, 20 of which contribute to the district. Many were built for the early automobile trade as showrooms, service garages and supply shops. Examples include the four-story Forbes Motor Car Company building of 1919 to 1921, designed by Hallet and Pratt, and the Harper Overland Company building of about 1921. As the car business grew, dealers chose fashionable Art Deco and revival designs to show off their products. The district also includes Engine Company No. 10, a Romanesque Revival firehouse of the early 1900s, and the 1937 Saunders Station Post Office in a Stripped Classical style. The large Coliseum, later the Duplex Envelope Company building, is separately listed. Although many ground-floor storefronts were altered during the twentieth century, the upper floors largely keep their original windows, cornices and finishes. The district reflects Broad Street's westward growth as a commercial corridor.