Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
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VLR Listing Date 11/05/1968
NRHP Listing Date 04/16/1969
NHL Listing Date 11/11/1971
NRHP Reference Number 69000321
No purer expression of the mid-19th-century Egyptian Revival exists in America than this exotic work, a masterpiece by Philadelphia architect Thomas S. Stewart. Completed in 1846, the Egyptian Building originally housed Hampden-Sydney College’s medical department, which moved to Richmond in 1837. The department became an independent institution in 1854, and came under state control in 1860. In 1893, it became the Medical College of Virginia, now part of Virginia Commonwealth University. The institution has since been expanded into a vast complex, but the Egyptian Building, one of the oldest medical education buildings in the South, remains its architectural symbol. The style alluded to Egypt’s ancient medical tradition. Emphasizing the Egyptian theme is the cast-iron fence with its mummy-like posts, or herm figures, and its granite piers in the shape of obelisks.
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
Updated: August 19, 2022
