Designed by the Richmond firm of Noland and Baskervill, The Virginia was erected in 1906 as the Richmond headquarters of the Virginia State Insurance Company and stands as an individualized example of early-20th-century commercial classicism. In addition to housing the city’s second largest insurance company and other offices, the building accommodated prestige apartments, a combination of uses then unique in Richmond and never again attempted here. Located on fashionable Fifth Street, the structure was designed to complement the neighborhood through a restrained and inventive treatment of the exterior which made use of a curved façade, rusticated brickwork, and subtle spacing of bays. In addition to offices, the Virginia building now houses facilities for the adjacent Second Presbyterian Church.
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
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