Bolling, Anna P., Junior High School
Also known as: 123-117
Why it's listed
Anna P. Bolling Junior High School, at 35 West Fillmore Street in Petersburg, is a three-story school finished in 1926 and dedicated the following year to Anna Peyton Bolling, a former principal of Petersburg High School. Architect Charles M. Robinson, known for school designs across Virginia, gave it an orange pressed-brick and cast-stone exterior dominated by a semi-circular, two-level portico with Doric columns. Inside, the corridors have terrazzo floors and glazed brick wainscot, and the classrooms keep original chalkboards and built-in closets. The building was constructed in part to ease crowding at Petersburg High School, which had opened nine years earlier. It stands on ground long tied to education, where Peabody High School, the city's first high school for African Americans, was built in 1874. The school keeps a high degree of integrity, with few exterior changes beyond enclosed side doorways, and is regarded as an example of the progress in school design in Petersburg and across Virginia in the 1920s.
Significance in brief: The school is argued to be significant locally as a well-preserved example of Second Renaissance Revival design and as the work of Charles M. Robinson, a noted Virginia designer of schools. It also reflects the growth of public school construction in Petersburg and the rising importance of public education, and it was built partly to relieve overcrowding at Petersburg High School.
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 98001316, listed October 30, 1998. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 35 W. Fillmore St., Petersburg (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Petersburg |
| Listed | October 30, 1998 |
| Reference number | 98001316 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1926 |
| Architect / builder | Charles M. Robinson |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian/Renaissance/Second Renaissance Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function listed as vacant, not in use; after the school closed it housed city health and social services offices. |
| Acreage | 1.9 |
| Within district | Poplar Lawn Historic District |
| Coordinates | 37.22378, -77.40153 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 98001316.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4767392
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.