Ninth Street Office Building
Also known as: Hotel Richmond
Why it's listed
Rising eleven stories at 202 North Ninth Street in Richmond, this brick building began as the Hotel Richmond. Its first eight-story block dates to about 1904. A 1910-11 addition raised it by two floors and added a new wing to the north, creating a two-story marble lobby facing Ninth Street. The exterior combines rusticated brick, granite, limestone, terra cotta and a copper cornice. The lobby, known as the palm court, keeps a grand staircase, iron balustrades, paired Doric columns and stained-glass skylights bearing the hotel crest. The site had hosted taverns and hotels since 1797. Adeline Atkinson, a widow who secured financing from J.P. Morgan, built the hotel into a gathering place for state and local politicians. Harrison Albright designed the original hotel, and Norfolk architect John Kevan Peebles completed it. The state bought the building in 1966 and converted it to offices, adding suspended ceilings and partitions, though the lobby survives as its most important interior space.
Significance in brief: It is argued to be significant for social history as the last in a long line of hotels and taverns on its city block and as a center of Richmond politics under owner Adeline Atkinson, a pioneering businesswoman. It is also significant architecturally as the work of Harrison Albright and John Kevan Peebles, and for its surviving monumental marble palm court lobby.
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 09000730, listed September 16, 2009. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 202 N. 9th St., Richmond (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Richmond (city and county) |
| Listed | September 16, 2009 |
| Reference number | 09000730 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1904-1959 |
| Architect / builder | Harrison Albricht (1904 construction); John Kevan Peebles (1911 addition) |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as a state government office building since the state acquired it in 1966; the interior was converted from hotel rooms to offices, and the roof garden was removed. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | James River and Kanawha Canal Historic District |
| Coordinates | 37.54272, -77.43443 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 09000730.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q137217724
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.