Richmond (Va.), Bureau of Permits and Inspections, Building permit architectural blueprints, 1907-circa 2000

Access and use

Location of collection:
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Archives Reference Services
Phone: (804) 692-3888

Summary

Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

Richmond (Va.), Bureau of Permits and Inspections, Building permit architectural blueprints, 1907-1950, consists of building permit applications, architectural blueprints, and specifications for construction of and alterations to structures in the City of Richmond, Virginia, from 1907-1950. The structures documented include apartment buildings, banks, churches, commercial buildings, fraternal society buildings, garages, hospitals, hotels, municipal and state government buildings, office buildings, schools, service stations, single and multi-family residences, synagogues, and the like. Permit application forms may include some or all of the following information: name of applicant, architect, builder, construction materials, cost of construction, dimensions of the structure, and the race of the occupant.

Accessions 30150, 30745, and 38536 are the surviving paper blueprints, 1907-1949, from the Richmond City Office of Building Inspection. The materials are organized by a control number assigned during processing. Paper copies of the architectural blueprints are served only when they have not been microfilmed or circumstances dictate use of the original. Surviving building specifications have been rolled with the architectural blueprints.

Biographical / historical:

Context for Records: Beginning in 1908, the City of Richmond instituted a policy of issuing formal building permits. Along with an application for a building permit, part of the process for approval of a building was the submission of a set of architectural blueprints and written specifications for the proposed project. These applications were submitted to the Richmond City Office of Building Inspection which was responsible for the review of the drawings and the issuing of building permits.

Locality History: The city of Richmond, located between Henrico and Chesterfield Counties, was named by William Byrd (1674-1744), who envisioned the development of a city at the falls of the James River and with the help of William Mayo laid out the town in 1737. The name probably came from the English borough of Richmond upon Thames, which Byrd visited on several occasions. Richmond was established in 1742 and in 1779 was designated the capital of Virginia effective 30 April 1780. It was incorporated as a town, although "stiled the city of Richmond," in 1782 and was incorporated as a city in 1842. It served as the capital of the Confederacy from mid-1861 to April 1865. Richmond was enlarged by the annexation of Manchester (or South Richmond) in 1910, and by the addition of Barton Heights, Fairmount, and Highland Park in 1914. Further annexations from Chesterfield County occurred in 1942 and 1970.

Acquisition information:

Copies of plans and specifications, 1922-1924 came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of records from City of Richmond's Commissioner of Buildings in 1978 under accession 30150.

Building plans, 1925-1982 came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of records from City of Richmond's Commissioner of Buildings in 1979 under accession 30745.

Building plans, 1907-1955, came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of records from ity of Richmond, Department of Community Development, Bureau of Permits and Inspections in 1979 under accession under accession 38536.

Building permits and architectural drawings, lent to the Library of Virginia for microfilming from City of Richmond, Department of Community Development, Bureau of Permits and Inspections, on 28 March 2000 under accession 37533.

Building permits drawings, 1952-1970 came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of records from the City of Richmond, Department of Community Development, Bureau of Permits and Inspections in June 2004 under accession 41203.

Plans and drawings for Sixth St. Market Place, Richmond, VA, 1984-1985 came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of records from the City of Richmond, Department of Economic Development August 2004 under accession 41383.

Bureau of Permits and Inspections architectural drawings, plans and notebooks, 1907-circa 2000came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of records from the City of Richmond, Department of Planning and Development in April 2021 under accession 53297.

Arrangement:

  • Series 1: Blueprint drawings, 1907-1950
  • Series 1:Subseries A: Apartments, 1907-1948
  • Series 1:Subseries B:Bank buildings, 1909-1948
  • Series 1:Subseries C:Cemeteries, 1924-1931
  • Series 1:Subseries D:Charitable Organizations, 1907-1947
  • Series 1:Subseries E:Churches and Synagogues, 1907-1948, undated
  • Series 1:Subseries F:Cultural Institutions, 1912-1933
  • Series 1:Subseries G:Educational Buildings, 1908-1950
  • Series 1:Subseries H:Factories, 1908-1948, undated
  • Series 1:Subseries I:Fraternal Organizations, 1908-1948
  • Series 1:Subseries J:Garages, 1910-1948
  • Series 1:Subseries K:Government Buildings, 1909-1947
  • Series 1:Subseries L:Hospital Buildings, 1909-1950
  • Series 1:Subseries M:Hotel Buildings, 1909-1948
  • Series 1:Subseries N:Municipal Buildings, 1907-1948
  • Series 1:Subseries O:Office Buildings, 1909-1948
  • Series 1:Subseries P:"Other" type of buildings, 1927-1948
  • Series 1:Subseries Q:Railroads, 1909-1948
  • Series 1:Subseries R:Recreational facilities, 1916-1941
  • Series 1:Subseries S:Residences-single and multi-family dwellings, 1909-1948
  • Series 1:Subseries T:Service Stations, 1926-1948
  • Series 1:Subseries U:Shop Buildings, 1923-1948
  • Series 1:Subseries V:Store Buildings, 1908-1948
  • Series 1:Subseries W:Theaters, 1910-1948
  • Series 1:Subseries X:Transportation Buildings, 1910-1946
  • Series 1:Subseries Y:Warehouses, 1908-1948
  • Series 2: Architectural Drawings, Specifications, Permit Drawings, Index books, 1950-circa 2000
  • Series 2:Subseries A:Building Permit Drawings, 1952-1970
  • Series 2:Subseries B:6th Street Market Records, 1984-1985
  • Series 2:Subseries C:Inspections architectural drawings, Plans, and Index Books, 1907-circa 2000 [CLOSED FOR PROCESSING]
  • Series 3:Records on Microfilm , 1907-1976
  • Series 3:Subseries A:Index Books, 1907-1970
  • Series 3:Subseries B:Building Permit Application Forms, 1907-1976
  • Series 3:Subseries C:Architectural Drawings and Specifications, 1907-1976
  • Series 3:Subseries D: Demolition Permits, 1937-1969

Physical description:
3167 sets of blueprints; 249 boxes; 240 Microfilm reels [UNDER REVIEW]