Lewis F. Powell, Jr. U.S. Courthouse Annex, Richmond, VA
Location: 1100 E Main St, Richmond, VA 23219
The Courthouse Annex in Richmond, Virginia appears not to have been officially accepted as eligible for the National Register but certainly the State Preservation Officer of Virginia thinks that it is eligible. For the purposes of this report, the building will be considered over 50 years old and rated 5 until final paperwork is accepted, at which time it would be rated as a 3. The building's significance is clearly limited to the City of Richmond. Its importance lies in the exterior as an example of the Modernistic (Art Deco) style and its location in a proposed Historic District next to the US Courthouse. The juxtaposition to the U.S. Courthouse highlights the differences between the attitudes that effectively delineated the form of each building. While the U.S. Courthouse Building evolved over a period of many years with great continuity of design, the Annex was a sharp reaction to existing revival styles. Having the Courthouse, the Annex, the cast iron buildings across the street and the Jefferson Capitol Building to the north in close proximity to the contemporary highrise office buildings literally creates a quilt of architectural styles that tell their own story. The Annex building was built in 1935 as an adjunct to the older Federal Building to the west across 11th Street. The four-story building, with a three story wing extending east along Bank Street, was originally called the Parcel Post Annex even though the upper floors were given over to other Federal agencies. Later, two more stories were added to the four-story section making that portion six stories high. Since the Post Office moved to its new main office on Brook Road in 1970, the interior functions and office spaces that are utilized presently, are devoted to the needs of the judicial system with interiors greatly altered from those of the Post Office.
Facts
- Architects: Wright, Marcellus E., et al.
- Construction Dates: 1935
- GSA Building Number: VA0062ZZ
- National Register of Historic Places Landmark Status: National Register Listed, Contributing structure in Main Street Banking Historic District (National Register District).