City guide
78 buildings worth a detour, each with what to look for. Open them on the map, or walk them with the iPhone app, which collects each one you photograph.
The buildings that define the city's architecture.
The Belgian Building was originally built as a pavilion for the 1939 World's Fair before being relocated to Richmond, where it was completed in its current form in 1941. It was designed by Henry van de Velde, Victor Bourgeois, and Léon Stynen, all major figures of early modern architecture, making it a rare International Style landmark with an unusual transatlantic origin.
Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author , Public domain
Branch House was designed by John Russell Pope and completed in 1919 as a private residence in the Tudor Revival style. It stands in the Fan neighborhood as a notable example of Pope's residential work.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY 3.0
Landmark
Broad Street Station is a former grand train station in Richmond, designed by architect John Russell Pope and completed in 1919. It later found new use after its railroad days ended. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and OpenStreetMap records it with heritage tier 2.
The Capitol Square Bell Tower was built in 1824 on Capitol Square in downtown Richmond in the Federal style. It is designated a Virginia Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Smash the Iron Cage , CC BY-SA 4.0
The Carpenter Theatre opened in 1928 as a Depression-era movie palace, designed by John Eberson, the pioneer of the atmospheric theater. Its Moorish and Spanish Colonial Revival styling made it one of Eberson's typologically innovative atmospheric theaters, a design approach that transformed the moviegoing experience.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY 3.0
Central National Bank is a 1929 Art Deco skyscraper designed by John Eberson, known for his atmospheric theater and skyscraper designs. The tower's form gives it a strong presence on the street and stands as a notable Art Deco landmark in downtown Richmond.
Photo: Morgan Riley, Midlothian, Virginia , CC BY-SA 3.0
The Decatur O. Davis House, in downtown Richmond, was designed by architect Albert L. West in the Second Empire style. It is designated a Virginia Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY 3.0
The Egyptian Building was designed by Thomas Somerville Stewart and completed in 1845 in the Egyptian Revival style, a rare choice for the region at the time. It is counted among the few surviving Egyptian Revival buildings in the United States, with a distinctive facade of Egyptian motifs visible from the street.
Photo: Crazyale , CC BY-SA 3.0
The Ellen Glasgow House, in downtown Richmond, was the home of novelist Ellen Glasgow. Built in the Greek Revival style, it is designated a National Historic Landmark, a Virginia Historic Landmark, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
First Baptist Church in downtown Richmond was designed by Thomas Ustick Walter, the architect of the U.S. Capitol dome, in the Greek Revival style. The church is a Virginia Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Crazyale , CC BY-SA 3.0
The Governor's Mansion was designed by Alexander Parris and completed in 1813 in the Federal style. It has served continuously as the governor's residence since it was built, giving it an unbroken institutional story spanning over two centuries.
Photo: Leonard Woody , CC BY-SA 3.0
Highland Park Public School was designed by Charles M. Robinson in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. It is a designated Virginia Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY-SA 3.0
The Institute for Contemporary Art, Richmond, was designed by Steven Holl and completed in 2018. Its folded-form design gives the museum a sculptural exterior that stands out clearly from the street.
Photo: Packer1028 , CC0
Leigh Street Baptist Church was designed by Samuel Sloan, a nationally known 19th-century architect, in the Greek Revival style. The church is known for its prominent Greek Revival facade, and it is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places as well as designated a Virginia Historic Landmark.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY 3.0
The Lewis F. Powell, Jr., United States Courthouse in downtown Richmond was designed by Ammi B. Young in the Renaissance Revival style. It is named for Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a Virginia Historic Landmark.
Photo: Acroterion , CC BY-SA 4.0
Monumental Church was designed by Robert Mills and built as a memorial on the site of the 1811 theater fire, one of the deadliest disasters in Richmond's history. Its Greek Revival design gave the memorial a distinctive commemorative building type rather than a conventional church form.
Photo: Mills, Robert; Upjohn, Richard; Marshal, John; Allan, John , Public domain
The New Pump-House is a utilitarian waterworks building given elaborate Gothic Revival and Beaux-Arts architectural treatment, an unusual pairing for an industrial structure. Now abandoned, it once housed a music hall. It is designated a Virginia Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Jack E. Boucher , Public domain
Landmark
Old City Hall in downtown Richmond was designed by Elijah E. Myers and completed in 1894. It is a prominent civic landmark building designated a National Historic Landmark, Virginia Historic Landmark, and National Register of Historic Places listed place.
Second Presbyterian Church in downtown Richmond was designed by Minard Lafever and completed in 1906 in the Gothic Revival style. The church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Virginia Historic Landmark.
Photo: Crazyale , CC BY-SA 3.0
Thomas Jefferson High School is a Richmond landmark designed by Charles M. Robinson, a prominent Richmond school architect, in the Art Deco style. It is designated a Virginia Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Crazyale , CC0
Trinity Methodist Church, in downtown Richmond, was designed by architect Albert L. West and completed in 1866 in the Italianate style. It is designated a Virginia Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY 3.0
The Virginia State Capitol was designed by Thomas Jefferson with Charles-Louis Clérisseau and completed in 1785 as the seat of Virginia's government, a role it has held ever since. Jefferson modeled it on a Roman temple form, making it one of the first classical temple-form government buildings in the United States and an influential prototype for American civic architecture. It dominates Capitol Square with a prominent classical facade.
Photo: Ron Cogswell , CC BY 2.0
Wickham House in downtown Richmond was built in 1812 and blends Federal and Greek Revival architecture. It is designated a National Historic Landmark and Virginia Historic Landmark, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The WRVA Building, in downtown Richmond, was designed by Philip Johnson and completed in 1968 in the International Style.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY 3.0
Worth a stop when you're nearby.
The Altria Theater in the Fan neighborhood opened in 1927 in the Moorish Revival style and has a long-running history as a performance venue.
The Barret House was built in 1844 in downtown Richmond in the Greek Revival style. It is a Virginia Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author , Public domain
The Bolling Haxall House is a Renaissance Revival house in downtown Richmond, notable enough to be named a Virginia Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY 3.0
Landmark
The Byrd Theatre opened in 1928 in the Fan district as a movie house with a prominent street facade. It's individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Virginia Historic Landmark.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY 3.0
First African Baptist Church was built in 1877 in downtown Richmond in the Greek Revival style, home to a historic African American congregation. It is a Virginia Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY 3.0
Fourth Baptist Church was designed by T. Wiley Davis in the Gothic Revival style. It is a Virginia Historic Landmark and is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Crazyale , CC0
The Fraternal Order of Eagles Building in downtown Richmond was designed by architect Louis H. Asbury in the Neoclassical style, with a classical facade visible from the sidewalk. It is recognized as both a Virginia Historic Landmark and a National Register of Historic Places listed place.
Photo: Crazyale , CC BY-SA 3.0
Grace Hospital in downtown Richmond was designed by architect Charles M. Robinson, blending Colonial Revival and Moderne architecture. It is a Virginia Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Landmark
John B. Cary School in the Fan district was designed by Charles M. Robinson, a prominent Richmond school architect. It is a Virginia Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY 3.0
The John Marshall House was built in 1790 in downtown Richmond in the Federal style as the home of Chief Justice John Marshall. It holds the rare distinction of National Historic Landmark status in addition to its Virginia Historic Landmark and National Register of Historic Places listings.
Photo: photographer not credited , Public domain
Linden Row is a row of Greek Revival townhouses in downtown Richmond, unified behind a single facade. It is a Virginia Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author , Public domain
The Masonic Temple in downtown Richmond was designed by architect Jackson C. Gott and completed in 1893 in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. It is recognized as both a Virginia Historic Landmark and a National Register of Historic Places contributing property.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY 3.0
Robert Fulton School was built in 1917 in the Colonial Revival style. It is a Virginia Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Mojo Hand , CC BY-SA 4.0
Robinson House is an 1859 residence in Richmond's Fan neighborhood, built in the Italianate style. It is a Virginia Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: AgnosticPreachersKid , CC BY-SA 4.0
The Scott House stands in Richmond's Fan neighborhood, built in the Beaux-Arts style. It is a Virginia Historic Landmark and is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY 3.0
The Southern Biscuit Company building is a former biscuit factory built in the Colonial Revival style, an unusual choice for a commercial and industrial structure. It is recognized as a Virginia Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Acroterion , CC BY-SA 4.0
St. Paul's Episcopal Church in downtown Richmond was designed by architect Thomas Somerville Stewart in the Greek Revival style. It is recognized as a Virginia Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY 3.0
The Commonwealth Club in downtown Richmond is a private social club built in the Renaissance Revival and Mediterranean Revival styles. It is a National Register of Historic Places contributing property and is separately recognized as a Virginia Historic Landmark and NRHP listed place.
The Virginia Department of Highways Building went up in downtown Richmond in 1937, in the Stripped Classicism style that Depression-era governments favored for its monumental, transitional take on classicism. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Virginia Historic Landmark.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY 3.0
The William H. Grant House in downtown Richmond was built in the Renaissance Revival style. It is a Virginia Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY 3.0
Fine buildings that fewer people seek out.
The Atlantic Motor Company building, completed in 1919 in Richmond's Fan neighborhood, is a Neoclassical commercial building. It is individually designated a Virginia Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY 3.0
The Barbara Johns Building is a Colonial Revival structure in downtown Richmond designed by architect Harrison Albright and named for civil rights figure Barbara Johns. It is listed as a Virginia Historic Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Smash the Iron Cage , CC BY-SA 4.0
The Bellevue School Building is a Tudor Revival school in downtown Richmond, completed in 1912 by the architecture firm Carneal and Johnston. It is a contributing property to the National Register of Historic Places.
The Benjamin Watkins Leigh House is a Renaissance Revival building in downtown Richmond, designated a Virginia Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Morgan Riley , Public domain
The Branch Building is a cast-iron structure in downtown Richmond dating to 1866. It is individually listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY 3.0
The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in the Fan district was completed in 1905 to designs by architect Joseph Hubert McGuire in the Renaissance Revival style. It is a Virginia Historic Landmark, an NRHP-listed place, and a contributing property to the National Register.
Photo: Martin Kraft , CC BY-SA 3.0
Charlotte Williams Memorial Hospital is a Renaissance Revival building in downtown Richmond designed by architect Albert W. Fuller. It is individually listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places.
The Crump Double House, built in 1818 in downtown Richmond, is worked in the Adam and Federal styles. It is a contributing property to the National Register of Historic Places and is designated a Virginia Historic Landmark.
The Donnan–Asher Iron-front Building is a Renaissance Revival commercial building in downtown Richmond, noted as a notable iron-front structure. It is a Virginia Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author , Public domain
Fairmount School is a Gothic Revival former school building in Richmond, designed by Albert F. Huntt and completed in 1895. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Virginia Historic Landmark.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY 3.0
Landmark
The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Building was completed in 1978 and designed by Minoru Yamasaki, a major 20th-century architect.
Photo: Ben Schumin , CC BY-SA 3.0
The George Washington Building is a Beaux-Arts structure in downtown Richmond, designated a Virginia Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Taber Andrew Bain from Richmond, VA, USA , CC BY 2.0
The Hunt-Sitterding House, built in 1891 in the Fan neighborhood, blends Romanesque Revival and Queen Anne styles. It is designated a Virginia Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY 3.0
The Manchester Courthouse is a Colonial Revival civic building completed in 1871 and designed by architect Albert L. West. It served as a courthouse, a distinct civic building type, and is now listed as a Virginia Historic Landmark and individually on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY 3.0
The Maupin-Maury House is a Greek Revival house in downtown Richmond built in 1846. It is designated a Virginia Historic Landmark and is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY 3.0
The Nathaniel Bacon School, completed in 1914, was designed by architect Charles M. Robinson in the Colonial Revival style. It is designated a Virginia Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY 3.0
Number 2 Truck-House is an 1890 Italianate building in downtown Richmond, once a firehouse. It is individually designated a Virginia Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Landmark
The Old Stone House in downtown Richmond was built in 1754, making it one of the city's oldest surviving structures. It is a Virginia Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Oliver Hill Building is a Beaux-Arts commercial building in downtown Richmond, individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Virginia Historic Landmark.
The Pace-King House is an Italianate house in downtown Richmond built in 1860. It is a contributing property and individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and a Virginia Historic Landmark.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY 3.0
Planters National Bank is a Romanesque Revival bank building in downtown Richmond, designated a Virginia Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Crazyale , CC BY-SA 3.0
Putney Houses is a Renaissance Revival building in downtown Richmond, recognized as a Virginia Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY 3.0
Reveille is a Federal-style building in Richmond, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Virginia Historic Landmark.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY 3.0
The Richmond Dairy Building in downtown Richmond was completed in 1913 to designs by the firm Carneal and Johnston, in the Tudor Revival style — an unusual choice for an industrial dairy building. It is a contributing property to the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY 3.0
Landmark
St. John's Episcopal Church is a National Historic Landmark in Richmond, also listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Virginia Historic Landmark.
Photo: Skyring , CC BY-SA 3.0
St. Patrick Catholic Church is a Gothic Revival church dating to 1859. It is individually designated a Virginia Historic Landmark and listed as a National Register of Historic Places contributing property.
Steamer Company Number 5 is a Renaissance Revival building in downtown Richmond, designated a Virginia Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Eli Pousson , CC BY-SA 2.0
The Stearns Iron-Front Building, built in 1869 in downtown Richmond, is an Italianate cast-iron-front building whose iron facade is visible from the street. It is designated a Virginia Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author , Public domain
The T. Wiley Davis House was built in 1885 in the Second Empire style. It is a contributing property to the National Register of Historic Places and is designated a Virginia Historic Landmark.
The Virginia Mutual Building is a Neoclassical structure in downtown Richmond, completed in 1921 to a design by architect Alfred Bossom. It is individually listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Crazyale , CC BY-SA 3.0
The White House of the Confederacy, in downtown Richmond, is attributed to architect Robert Mills and served as the wartime executive mansion of the Confederacy. It is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: AlbertHerring , CC BY-SA 3.0
The Young Women's Christian Association building is a Renaissance Revival structure in downtown Richmond, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Virginia Historic Landmark.
Photo: Morgan Riley , CC BY 3.0
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