Crenshaw House
Also known as: Younger House; Clay House
Why it's listed
Built in 1891 on West Franklin Street in Richmond, this tall, narrow, three-story brick town house was designed in the Victorian Italianate style. In 1904 the firm of Noland and Baskervill remodeled it with a more Beaux Arts character, adding a copper Doric entablature, a stone entry porch with paired Doric columns, a smoking room, and richly paneled interiors. Its early occupants were the Younger, Clay and Crenshaw families, and the Crenshaws lived there until 1941, after which it held apartments and later university uses. The house is individually notable for its link to women's history. In November 1909, women met here at the home of Anne Clay and S. Dabney Crenshaw to organize what became the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia, an influential group that pressed for the vote and encouraged women into politics and reform. The house keeps its historic character despite modest interior changes, and it is now used as university offices.
Significance in brief: The house is individually significant for its role in Virginia's women's suffrage movement. In November 1909, two organizational meetings held here led to the formation of the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia. The league worked to win the vote for women and encouraged women to take up leadership in public life and progressive reform. The house retains its historic character despite minor interior alterations.
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 10000585, listed August 30, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 919 W Franklin St, Richmond |
|---|---|
| County | Richmond (city and county) |
| Listed | August 30, 2010 |
| Reference number | 10000585 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1909 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown (1904 alterations by Noland and Baskervill) |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Italianate |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Transportation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used by Virginia Commonwealth University as offices for the School of Community and Public Affairs and the Center for Public Affairs; interior partitioned for academic use. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | James River and Kanawha Canal Historic District |
| Coordinates | 37.54977, -77.45368 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 10000585.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16828383
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.