Shockoe Slip Historic District (Boundary Increase II)
Also known as: VDHR No. 127-0219
Why it's listed
This boundary increase adds five surviving brick buildings to Richmond's Shockoe Slip Historic District, on South 15th Street and East Main Street. They include a five-story 1916 warehouse designed by Carneal and Johnston and later used by Philip Morris, a 1955 steel-framed tobacco shed sheathed in corrugated metal by Baskervill & Son, and an 1898 three-story building known as the Buggy Factory, where farm implements and vehicles were sold and repaired. Three smaller buildings once housed commission merchants and wholesale grocers. Two of them, at 11 and 15 South 15th Street, date from the late 1850s and are thought to have survived the 1865 Evacuation Fire. Their granite storefronts are believed to be the last of their kind in the city. The buildings were added because they match the scale, materials and commercial and industrial character of the existing district. Most have been converted to offices, retail and apartments.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the area is significant at the local level under Criterion A for its continued role in the city's commerce and under Criterion C for representative light industrial and commercial architecture of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It also notes that 11 and 15 South 15th Street are thought to have the last surviving granite storefronts in the city.
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 05000916, listed August 24, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 11-15 and 101 South 15th St., 1433 East Main St., Richmond (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Richmond (city and county) |
| Listed | August 24, 2005 |
| Reference number | 05000916 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1800-1933 |
| Architect / builder | Carneal and Johnston; Baskervill & Son |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian/Italianate; Modern Movement |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Most buildings have been or are being rehabilitated for offices, retail and residential use; the Philip Morris building and 14 and 15 South 15th Street are rehabilitated, and work was underway on the Buggy Factory. |
| Acreage | 3.5 |
| Within district | James River and Kanawha Canal Historic District |
| Coordinates | 37.53560, -77.43124 (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 05000916.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.