Riverside Apartments
Also known as: Shipyard Apartments
Why it's listed
Two four-story brick apartment buildings on Washington Avenue in Newport News face the entrance to the city's shipyard. They were built in 1918 for the United States Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation to ease a severe housing shortage as shipyard employment roughly doubled during World War I. Francis Y. Joannes of New York designed the complex in the style of New York open-stair tenements, with six stairwell entrances per building, ground-level shops in the basements, and sandstone bands and classical portals as trim. Originally there were four buildings with 372 apartments; two were torn down in 1975 and 1979 for a parking lot. The survivors keep much of their original layout and fittings, including steel staircases, dumbwaiters, glass landing canopies and kitchen and bathroom fixtures. They are valued as rare surviving examples of federal wartime workers' housing, a subject of limited precedent in the United States, and as an early major commission for Joannes.
Significance in brief: The complex was built for the United States Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation to house shipyard workers during World War I, as part of the federal government's first venture into subsidized housing. It is described as one of the few government-initiated apartment buildings of its era to survive without significant alteration. It also shows that wartime housing could be built to good standards of design.
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 83003294, listed July 28, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 4500-4600 Washington Ave., Newport News (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Newport News |
| Listed | July 28, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83003294 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1918-1919 |
| Architect / builder | James Stewart & Company, NYC / Francis Y. Joannes |
| Architectural style | New York City open-stair tenement type with Beaux Arts-influenced classical detailing (Tuscan order portals) |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Military, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The two remaining buildings are described as well preserved despite some neglect, and residential use is to continue; two of the original four buildings were demolished in 1975 and 1979. |
| Acreage | 1.5 |
| Coordinates | 36.99125, -76.43846 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
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 83003294.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16899332
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.