Davis, Decatur O., House
Also known as: 127-0177
Why it's listed
Built in 1879 at 1001 East Clay Street in Richmond's Court End district, this three-story brick house was designed by architect Albert Lawrence West for his niece Alice Tyree and her husband, Decatur Oswyn Davis, a wholesale grocer. It features a slate mansard roof, granite trim, a cast-iron porch and a rare rinceau cast-iron fence with twining trumpet-flower vines. The Davis family lived there until 1917, when it became a hospital; later uses included a nurses' dormitory and a juvenile court annex, and the interior was altered several times. The house was listed for its architecture, as an example of West's Second Empire work late in his career. It also survives as part of the only intact residential-scale block in Court End, an area largely redeveloped for institutional uses. The Valentine Museum acquired it in 1988 and planned to rehabilitate it as offices.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it illustrates the work of Albert Lawrence West, a prominent Richmond architect who focused on Second Empire buildings late in his career. It also represents Court End's shift from residential to institutional use, and the surviving residential-scale 1000 block of East Clay Street. The unusual cast-iron rinceau fence adds to its importance.
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 00000490, listed May 11, 2000. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1001 E. Clay St., Richmond (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Richmond (city and county) |
| Listed | May 11, 2000 |
| Reference number | 00000490 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1879 - 1917 |
| Architect / builder | Albert Lawrence West |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian/Second Empire |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as vacant/not in use; purchased in 1988 by the Valentine Museum, with plans to rehabilitate it for museum offices. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Within district | James River and Kanawha Canal Historic District |
| Coordinates | 37.54201, -77.43140 (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.
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 00000490.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16954919
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.