St. John's Church Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Also known as: DHR File No. 127-192; See Also:St. John's Church Historic Dis
Why it's listed
Church Hill in Richmond holds the city's largest concentration of antebellum houses, along with later residential, commercial and industrial buildings. This amendment extends the district to include the 2100 blocks of East Broad and East Grace streets, adding twenty buildings from 1855 to 1895. Among them are the Greek Revival Robert Alvis House of 1855, the Thomas W. Tignor House of 1856, an Italianate double house, and the 1874 Bellevue School, which lost its second story to a hurricane in 1950. The former Monte Maria Convent, built around an 1859 Italianate house, is also included. The amendment further describes 140 buildings from 1900 to 1920, mostly brick or frame houses with Queen Anne or Colonial Revival details. Other early twentieth-century examples are the 1921 Neoclassical Church Hill Bank, the Tudor Revival Bellevue School of 1912, St. Patrick's School, and several factories and warehouses. This documentation supports extending the district's period of significance into the early twentieth century.
Significance in brief: The amendment adds twenty buildings dating from 1855 to 1895, which fit the district's original significance as Richmond's largest concentration of antebellum residential architecture. It also documents the 140 buildings built between 1900 and 1920, so the period of significance can extend into the early twentieth century. These include schools, a bank, and industrial buildings that show the area's dense development.
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 90002097, listed January 17, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by 21st, E. Marshall, 22nd and E. Franklin Sts., Richmond (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Richmond (city and county) |
| Listed | January 17, 1991 |
| Reference number | 90002097 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Bascom J. Rowlett (Church Hill Bank); James Fox & Sons (contractors); Carneal and Johnston (Bellevue School, 1912); Marcellus Wright (St. Patrick's School); Philip Johnson (WRVA Radio Studio) |
| Architectural style | Federal, Greek Revival, Victorian Italianate |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Many buildings remain in use as dwellings, shops and other uses; the former Bellevue School was converted to condominiums in 1978, and the Monte Maria Convent became a retreat center in 1988. |
| Acreage | 7 |
| Within district | St. John's Church Historic District |
| Coordinates | 37.53213, -77.41825 (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 90002097.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q137362681
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.