Church Hill

St. John's Church Historic District

St.John's Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia
Location Bounded roughly by 22nd, Marshall, 32nd, Main, and Franklin Sts. and Williamsburg Ave., Richmond, Virginia
Coordinates 37°31′45″N 77°25′5″W / 37.52917°N 77.41806°W / 37.52917; -77.41806Coordinates: 37°31′45″N 77°25′5″W / 37.52917°N 77.41806°W / 37.52917; -77.41806
Area 100 acres (40 ha)
Architect Byrd, William
Architectural style Greek Revival, Federal
NRHP Reference #

70000884 (original)
90002097

[1] (increase)
VLR # 127-0192
Significant dates
Added to NRHP September 15, 1970
Boundary increase January 17, 1991
Designated VLR June 2, 1970; April 17, 1990[2]

Church Hill, also known as the St. John's Church Historic District, is an Old and Historic District in Richmond, Virginia. This district encompasses the original land plat of the city of Richmond. Church Hill is the eastern terminus of Broad Street, a major east-west thoroughfare in the Richmond metropolitan area. The name Church Hill is often used to describe both the specific historic district and the larger general area in the East End encompassing other neighborhoods such as Union Hill, Chimborazo, Fairmount, Peter Paul, Woodville, etc.

History

Church Hill is known as the site of Virginia's second revolutionary convention, where Patrick Henry gave his "Give me liberty or give me death" speech in St. John's Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia. It is also known for Chimborazo Park, where the largest American Civil War Hospital was located.

On Friday, October 2, 1925, a 4,000-foot Chesapeake and Ohio railroad single track tunnel built during Reconstruction collapsed under Church Hill. The Church Hill Tunnel collapse occurred during refurbishment works, killing 3 or 4 and engulfing a work train complete with a 4-4-0 engine #231 and 10 flat cars. The tunnel was closed and filled-in after the collapse. In the July 2006, a coalition of officials and historical groups made plans to remove the buried engine. If recovered, it would be displayed at the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond. Some borings were made into the tunnel from above for examination by camera. Only murky water was found, whereupon further work was delayed by city permitting issues. The bricked-in entrance of the collapsed tunnel can still be seen at the south-east end of the alley just north of Marshall Street, on 18th Street.

Douglas Wilder, the first African American to have been elected governor of a U.S. state1, was born and raised in Church Hill.

Preservation Efforts

The Church Hill neighborhood experienced serious physical decline during the 1950s, owing mostly to absentee landlords. The Historic Richmond Foundation was established in 1956 by Elisabeth Scott Bocock out of concern for "saving and enhancing the setting for St. John's Church."[3] In 1957, encouraged in large part by Historic Richmond, City Council created a historic district ordinance while simultaneously adopting the St. John's Church Old and Historic District. The preservation of Church Hill marked the formal beginning of the preservation movement in Richmond.[4]

Notable Structures, Monuments and Parks

Maps

References

  1. ↑ National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  3. ↑ Zehmer, Jack. Church Hill: The St. John's Historic District, 1991. (p. 11)
  4. ↑ Katie Kelley, Historic Richmond Foundation Architectural Historian
  5. ↑ http://www.historicrichmond.com/preservation-saves.php
Adjacent places of Church Hill
 Shockoe Valley Union Hill
Shockoe Bottom Chimborazo
Chimborazo Park
   Church Hill  
Tobacco Row Libby Hill
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