West Broad Street Industrial and Commercial Historic District

Located in central Richmond, this district covers about 40 acres of factories, warehouses and storefronts along West Broad and West Marshall Streets. Most buildings were put up between 1902 and the 1930s, when Richmond's industrial activity shifted here from Manchester south of the James River to take advantage of rail lines and undeveloped land. Large plants such as the Putney Shoe Factory, the Virginia School Supply Building and the C.F. Sauer headquarters, home to the well-known bulb-lit Sauer's Vanilla sign, were served by rail spurs. As Broad Street became the main east-west artery, auto dealerships such as the Atlantic Motor Company and rows of plate-glass storefronts followed, and a Modern Sears department store arrived around 1946. Architecture is mostly restrained, with simplified Colonial Revival and Art Deco or Moderne touches in durable masonry. Ground-floor storefronts have often been remodeled, yet upper stories and overall massing keep the area's historic commercial and industrial character.