Delevan Baptist Church
Also known as: First Baptist Church; First Colored Baptist Church
Why it's listed
Delevan Baptist Church is a brick Victorian Romanesque church at 632 West Main Street in Charlottesville, completed in October 1883 by builder John C. Sinclair at a cost of about $6,100. The rectangular building has a projecting square entrance tower topped with an octagonal wooden lantern, matching corner towerlets, round-arched stained-glass windows, and a corbelled brick water table above a full basement. The congregation began in 1864, when black Baptists left the town's older Baptist church. In 1868 they bought the lot holding the former Delevan Hotel, a temperance hotel from the 1820s also called Mudwall, and worshipped there before building the present church, begun in 1877. It is described as the oldest black congregation in the city and the only surviving Romanesque Revival building in Charlottesville. Later documentation also describes it as a landmark of the growing African-American community nearby and the only institutional building in its surrounding area.
Significance in brief: Delevan Baptist Church was organized in 1864 and is described as the oldest black congregation in Charlottesville. It took its name from the temperance hotel on the site, which was its first meeting place. The present building is the only example of Romanesque Revival architecture remaining in Charlottesville, and it is a visual landmark tied to the city's African-American community.
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) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 82001802, listed October 21, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 632 W. Main St., Charlottesville (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Charlottesville |
| Listed | October 21, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82001802 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | John C. Sinclair, builder |
| Architectural style | Victorian Romanesque (Romanesque Revival) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Black |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in good condition; still used as a church. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | West Main Street Historic District |
| Coordinates | 38.03113, -78.48959 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 82001802.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5253655
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.