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 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 for Chimborazo Park, where the most prominent American Civil War Hospital was located. It is also 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, VA, in 1775.
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 4-4-0 engine #231 and 10 flat cars. The tunnel was closed and filled in after the collapse. In July 2006, a coalition of officials and historical groups made plans to remove the buried engine. It would be displayed at the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond if recovered. Some borings were made into the tunnel from above for examination by the camera. Only murky water was found; after that, further work was delayed by city permitting issues. The bricked-in entrance of the collapsed tunnel can still be seen at the southeast end of the alley just north of Marshall Street, on 18th Street.
Preservation Efforts
The Church Hill neighborhood experienced a 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.” In 1957, encouraged mainly 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.
Notable Structures
- John’s Episcopal Church (Richmond, Virginia)
- Adams Double House
- Chimborazo Park
- Elmira Shelton House
- Jefferson Park
- Libby Hill Park
- Pohlig Brothers Building
- Richmond Hill (a/k/a the Adams-Taylor House or Monte Maria) Bed Bug Exterminator Richmond
- Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument
- John’s Mews
- Superior Warehouse
- Woodward House
- WRVA Building
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