National Register of Historic Places

Columbia

Richmond (Independent City), Richmond County, Virginia
Listed
September 15, 1982
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
82004585

About this property

Columbia, also known as the Philip Haxall House, is a historic home located in Richmond, Virginia. A rare surviving Federal villa, Columbia was built in 1817-18 for Philip Haxall of Petersburg, who moved to Richmond in 1810 to operate the Columbia Flour Mills, from which the house derives its name. The building is a two-story, three bay Federal style brick dwelling on a high basement. The entrance features an elliptical fanlight opening sheltered by a one-story Doric porch that was added when the entrance was moved from the Lombardy Street side to the Grace Street side in 1924, when the building was expanded to house the T.C. Williams School of Law of the University of Richmond. In 1834 the Baptist Education Society purchased the house and it became the main academic building of Richmond College, later University of Richmond. It housed the School of Law from 1917 to 1954. In 1984 Columbia was purchased by the American Historical Foundation for its headquarters. The Foundation maintained its offices and a military museum at the property before selling Columbia in 2005. In 2013, Columbia was put up for auction and by late 2014 Thalhimer Realty Partners, Inc. (a Virginia-based division of Cushman & Wakefield) had purchased the property, repurposing the historic home from office space into Columbia Apartments. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Location

1142 W. Grace St.
Richmond (Independent City), Richmond County, Virginia
37.55347, -77.45668

Categories

EDUCATIONARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
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Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
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Nearby Historic Sites

West Broad Street Commercial Historic District
Listed
0.1 mi
Lee Medical Building
Modern
0.2 mi
Lee, Robert E., Monument
Listed
0.2 mi
Carver Industrial Historic District
Industrial
0.2 mi
West Franklin Street Historic District
Listed
0.3 mi

Nearby Battles

Dahlgren Raid (Richmond Raid)
1864Civil War
1.4 mi
Kilpatrick-Dahlgren Raid
1864Civil War
1.4 mi
Battle of Bloody Run
1656Colonial
1.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Columbia listed on the National Register?

Columbia was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 15, 1982.

What type of historic resource is Columbia?

Columbia is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Columbia?

The period of significance for Columbia is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Columbia?

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