Holiday House Tour

2401 East Broad St., St. John’s Church Parish Hall

Up the steps and to the right of Historic St. John’s Episcopal Church. The building now used as the Parish Hall was built in 1876 as a Sunday school. The meticulously restored parish house serves as a museum with photos and artifacts of the church and the church’s graveyard. It is the first stop on the tour.

Pick up online-purchased will-call tickets here, or purchase tickets on the day of the tour. The tour stops can be visited in any order, and transportation will be provided.

215 North 25th St., St. Patrick Catholic Church.

It is said that St. Patrick Church had its beginnings as a sailor’s chapel down by the river. With the growth of Richmond’s Irish population, especially laborers building the James River and Kanawha Canal, the need for a Catholic Church in Richmond’s East End grew. The present church was built in 1859 in the Gothic Revival style.

2509 E. Grace St., Dietmar and Susan Mossem

These five white brick houses were constructed by prominent real estate developer Henry S. Wallerstein in 1905. Uniformity of style, scale and color gives the group a special dignity. Colonial balustrades and the false mansard roofs harmonize with the modern simplicity of the facades in contrast with older neighboring structures. The houses are probably the last row of such length to be built in Church Hill. The first resident of 2509 was Ernest C Garthright, a saloonkeeper at 210 N 7th Street.

2604 E. Franklin St., Cindy & Jim Gunson

Previously the site of a house built before 1792 by William Marshall, brother of Chief Justice John Marshall. Built in 1904, the present double house 2604-2606 E Franklin St has minimal architectural detail, with the exception of large, ornamental gables and the wide spacing of its porch columns.

Libby Hill Park House & Viewshed

Located at N. 28th and E. Franklin Streets, Libby Hill Park is one of the three original parks in Richmond’s park system. The iconic Libby Hill Park house, dating from the turn of the 20th century, anchors one of the oldest parks in Richmond. Libby Hill Park was established in 1861 to allow for “breathing space” for city dwellers. The park house was occupied for nine months of the year by a park keeper. His job was to maintain the 7.5 acre park, cutting the grass with a push mower, tending to the flower beds and turning the gas lamps on by hand at night and off in the morning. Libby Hill Park and the Park House were beautifully restored from 1990-1994 thanks to a grant from a gift from former Mayor J. Fulmer Bright. The Park House is currently undergoing major renovations.

5 N. 29th St., John & Nell Sieg

This brick residence features an elaborate Italianate wrought iron porch. Recent renovations resulted in an open floor plan and exposed brick while maintaining the home’s historic character. Occupants have ranged from judges and pastors to mechanics and cooks. Note, Daniel Day Lewis stayed here while filming the movie Lincoln directed by Stephen Spielberg.

3107 E. Broad St., Ocelia Hudson

What appears to be a continuous row was actually built in two sections; 3105 through 3109 ½ in 1897 and 3111-3113 in 1894. On this block, houses occupied by black tenants were torn down to provide building sites for new townhouses. Whether these houses were houses of early freedmen, support buildings for Chimborazo Hospital, or tenements serving businesses along the river and in Shockoe Valley is not clear.

Chimborazo Medical Museum, 3215 E. Broad St.

The Chimborazo Medical Museum tells the story of Richmond’s Civil War hospitals. There were over 100 hospitals in Richmond during the conflict, and Chimborazo was one of the largest. Constructed in 1909 as a weather station (active until 1954), the museum is a two-story, three-bay, Greek Revival Style masonry building with corner quoins. The city acquired the property and donated it to the National Park Service to serve as a visitor center and museum in 1958. The five acres surrounding the museum are part of Richmond National Battlefield Park, the adjacent green space is the city’s Chimborazo Park. Together the two areas preserve the site of a Revolutionary War skirmish, Civil War hospital, freedman’s village for liberated slaves, brewery and beer cave, weather station, and site of patriotic rallies.

609 Chimborazo Blvd., Wendy & Richard Parent Johnson

This two and one-half story, two-bay brick house with full-width double porches was built in the Colonial Revival style. The mansard roof features a dormer window and a handsome cornice with dentils. The second story has a bay window and ornamental glass doors with rusticated lintels. The first floor features a triple window and an entrance door with glass insert, sidelights and transoms with tracery detailing. The first-story porch balustrade has fluted columns resting on brick piers. Thomas F. O’Connor, a grocer on Denny Street, was the first resident. Later residents were Robert R. Markley, a draftsman with Carneal & Johnston, George A. Woody, a steel worker, Charles G. Thedieck, a manager at Producers Cooperative Exchange, and Frank W. Robins, a teller with State City Bank & Trust. The original address was 609 N. 34th Street. The house is listed as a contributing structure to the Oakwood-Chimborazo Historic District on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places.

2820 E. Marshall St., Jill & Michael Cordova Holt

The single house at 2822 was built around 1890, and the three houses at 2816–2818–2820 were built in 1895. They are examples of the Italianate style and are particularly well detailed. The rhythm of the group was unfortunately interrupted by the closing of a window at 2818, however in 2015 this window was replaced.. The repetition of their particularly attractive cornices gives this row of buildings a special quality.

MediaNoche, 2712 E. Leigh St., Jill Hammer

MediaNoche is a locally owned hat shop and gift boutique tucked away in historic North Church Hill. The shop is housed in a brick building built in 1880 that was once the stables for Model Steam Laundry on 25th Street. MediaNoche is a strong supporter of the local arts community, featuring a large selection of artwork and handcrafted gifts from RVA Makers and Virginia Artisans. Artwork is hung on exposed brick walls, and the former horse stalls are still visible. In addition to unique, locally made gifts, MediaNoche is Richmond’s Only Hat Shop, and stocks a huge selection of hats for women & men. This is a refreshment stop!

2522 Q St., Betsy Kline

Nestled in the heart of historic Church Hill, 2522 Q Street is a modern 2024-built home that blends contemporary design with Richmond charm. Featuring over 2,100 sq ft of open living space, the home offers three bedrooms, two and a half baths, and a light-filled layout centered around a chef’s kitchen with quartz countertops, a large island, and gas cooking. The primary suite includes a spacious walk-in closet and spa-style ensuite, while the rooftop terrace provides sweeping city views perfect for entertaining. With thoughtful finishes, energy-efficient systems, and a low-maintenance exterior, this home captures the spirit of modern city living in one of Richmond’s most beloved neighborhoods.

2115 Cedar St., Bri & Adam Mitchell

James H. Poindexter House. This two-story Greek Revival frame house was built c. 1861. The gable roof includes a box cornice. The three-bay design includes a one-story porch that rests on brick piers. Narrow sidelights and a transom surround the entrance door. James Harris Poindexter, a merchant tailor, was the original owner. Mr. Poindexter operated Beers & Poindexter (merchant-tailors serving Virginia’s politicians) at 104 Main Street. He and his wife, Sarah, had seven children. The first known tenants were William E. Hawkins, a telephone operator, Benjamin Thornton, an African American laborer and Shinault Gray. The original address was 2115 Pleasant Street. This house is listed as a contributing structure to the Union Hill Historic District on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places.

2204 E. Broad St., Patricia & Andrew Veech

This stately Greek Revival brick double house was built by William L. McMinn. Mr McMinn was a carpenter and a member of the Mechanics of Richmond. The ownership remained with the family until 1878 when it was sold to Charles Evans Whitlock, a successful lumber dealer at R.H. Whitlock & Son, and his wife, Elizabeth Aiken Whitlock. In later years, the house had various tenants. From 1883-1885, Reverend John Pollard, Jr of Leight St Baptist Church, and his family resided here. His son, John Garland Pollard, later became the Governor of Virginia. In 1888, John B. French, a paper carrier, John H. Pettit, a miller at the Haxall Crenshaw Co., and John Winston, an African American laborer, lived here.

Bellevue Elementary School, 2301 E. Grace St.

Bellevue Elementary School is a small, close knit Title I school nestled in Richmond’s historic Church Hill community. Housed in a grand Tudor Revival style brick and stone building designed by the renowned Richmond architects Carneal and Johnston in 1912, Bellevue’s architecture features contrasting stone quoins, gabled parapets, multi-paned sash windows, and a striking entrance pavilion with carved stonework and buttresses. Inside this beautifully preserved landmark, modern classrooms and bright displays of student work bring new life to the building’s storied past. Serving students in kindergarten through fifth grade, Bellevue is known for its strong sense of family, vibrant school culture, and commitment to developing the whole child. Bellevue is where history, community, and innovation meet to help every child dream big.

308 North 24th St., Richmond Fire Station Number 1.

The oldest firehouse in Richmond includes a collection of antique fire equipment, including the first horse drawn fire truck owned by the city. Across North 24th Street, the Old Dominion Model A Ford Club displays its collection of cars manufactured from 1928 through 1931.