Grace Street Commercial Historic District
Why it's listed
Grace Street Commercial Historic District covers nine blocks of downtown Richmond, running along Grace and Franklin Streets with a few buildings on Broad Street. Until about 1920 the area was one of the city's most fashionable residential neighborhoods, lined with mansions, row houses and several churches. Beginning with the Thalhimer Brothers office building in 1911, and accelerating through the 1920s, it turned into a retail and office center that was nicknamed "Richmond's Fifth Avenue." More than seventy shops and office buildings went up between 1920 and 1930, before the 1929 crash slowed construction. The district includes department stores such as Miller & Rhoads and Thalhimers, the Loew's Theater, and an eleven-story Art Deco telephone company building. Its buildings use Italian Renaissance, Spanish Revival, Georgian Revival, Art Deco and Moderne designs in brick, limestone and terra cotta. A handful of earlier residential and church remnants survive. The district contains 74 contributing and 15 noncontributing buildings and keeps much of its early twentieth century character.
Significance in brief: The district contains the core of Richmond's early twentieth century retail development, when Grace Street changed from a wealthy residential street into a fashionable shopping and business district nicknamed "Richmond's Fifth Avenue." Its buildings show a wide range of revival and modern styles, including Italian Renaissance, Spanish and Georgian Revival, Art Deco and Moderne. The form notes that the district keeps much of its early twentieth century integrity despite some demolitions and altered storefronts.
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 98000739, listed July 13, 1998. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Adams, Broad, 8th and Franklin Sts., Richmond (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Richmond (city and county) |
| Listed | July 13, 1998 |
| Reference number | 98000739 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Charles K. Bryant; Voorhees, Gmelin & Walker; John Eberson; Starrett & Van Vleck; Carneal & Johnson; Baskerville & Lambert; Linder & Phillips |
| Architectural style | Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival, Classical Revival, Italian Renaissance, Chicago, Art Deco, Moderne |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Many buildings remain in commercial, theater, office and religious use. A few buildings were demolished in the 1980s and some storefronts were altered. A 1997 plan called for demolishing the Thalhimer's store addition. |
| Acreage | 22 |
| Within district | Fifth and Main Downtown Historic District |
| Coordinates | 37.54254, -77.43940 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 98000739.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16891820
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.