The pride with which public education was once regarded is evident in this forthright Victorian building in the Fan Area Historic District. Originally named the West End School, the Stonewall Jackson School was built in 1886-87 to serve the city of Richmond’s westward expansion. The school’s construction marked the end of a turbulent period in the history of the city’s public education when considerable controversy surrounded the establishment of free public schooling for both races. The large-scale and self-assured Italianate design made the school a prominent visual element of the neighborhood. Distinctive features are the richly detailed porticoes sheltering the principal entrances. The building served its original purpose for over eighty years and was closed when it could no longer meet modern standards. Sold to developers, it has been sympathetically converted to office and restaurant use. A 1990 fire caused significant damage but the building was completely restored.
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