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
Restrictions:

The researcher must start with either the name of the person who applied for the building permit of the structure, or a street location of the building. In either case it is necessary to know the year a building was constructed. This can often be determined by consulting City Directories.

Determining Permit Number by Name:

The permit number can be found by looking in the index book for a particular year and finding the listing, by last name.

Example: if you know a building was built in 1923 by someone named Jones, you would look on the reel of film with the index book for that year on it, and then search the book for Jones on the "J" page.

Determining Permit by Street Address:

The permit number can be found by looking in the index book for a particular year and finding the listing, by street address.

Example: If you have an address or a location, and know a building was built in 1923, you would look on the reel of film with the index book for that year on it, and search the book for Main Street on the "M" page. Note: not all properties are listed by street number; sometimes only a location is given, such as "South side of Main Street between Monroe and Madison."

Having determined the permit number, the researcher can then examine the original permit application form. 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
  • Race of the occupant

Researchers may then check for any surviving architectural drawings and the original architect’s specifications (see the reel inventory --below-- for a complete listing of the surviving architectural blueprints on microfilm). The permit number is noted on each frame of microfilm for the blueprints and appears written on the specifications. Not all drawings survived to be filmed, and the quality of the reproduction varies.

Separate indices list alterations and additions, and "verbals," a term used for immediate approval given to smaller projects.

Restriction: Due to the light sensitive and fragile nature of the blueprinte, researchers are directed to use the microfilm verison of this material. Paper copies of the architectural blueprints are served only when they have not been microfilmed or circumstances dictate use of the original. See Archives Reference Staff for assistance.

Terms of access:

This collection has no restrictions.

Preferred citation:

Richmond (Va.), Bureau of Permits and Inspections, Building permit architectural blueprints, 1907-circa 2000. Local government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Summary

Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Richmond (Va.), Bureau of Permits and Inspections, Building permit architectural blueprints, 1907-circa 2000. Local government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

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.

Processing information:

Many of the earliest application forms and blueprints have been lost over time and, therefore, do not exist in any format. Additionally, in 1964, in order to reduce the volume of materials and prepare for microfilming, the City of Richmond discarded blueprint drawings for the majority of buildings with construction costs totaling less than $10,000. Accordingly, a number of buildings cited in the index volumes do not have surviving architectural blueprints either on film or paper. Some application forms and blueprints were not microfilmed in the correct order.

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. Surviving building specifications have been rolled with the architectural blueprints. This includes the organization and descirption of the microfilm that came in accession 37522. Processed by:

Selden Richardson, August 2000 Vincent T. Brooks, October 2003-2005 Victoria Carter, intern, February-April 2004

Additional phsyical record received in accessions 41203, 41383, and 53297 are organized but generally unprocessed.

Encoded by V. Brooks, 24 March 2005; Updated by M. Mason, July 2024.

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]