Nomination Form
The Riverside Apartments were begun in 1918 by the Emergency Fleet Corporation, an agency of the U.S. Shipping Board, to alleviate the housing shortage created by the great increase of workers at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. during World War I. The project architect was Francis Y. Joannes, who also designed the houses for Hilton Village nearby. Consisting originally of four blocks, each employing the New York City open-stair tenement form, the apartments incorporated the very latest in construction techniques and fittings for fire safety, light, ventilation, health, and convenience. The complex, with its easy accessibility to the shipyard and the Newport News city center, filled an important need in America’s war production effort. Early in the 21st century, the Riverside Apartments were demolished and the site converted to surface parking.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Nomination Form
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
DHR has registered more than 3,317 individual resources and 613 historic districts
DHR has engaged over 450 students in 3 highway marker contests
DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia
