Downtown
Must-See RVA! — John D. Smith House
A look into the history of Richmond places that are still part of our landscape.
2617 East Franklin Street
Built, 1856
VDHR 127-0192
The latest of the three houses illustrated is that of John D. Smith, an upholsterer and paper-hanger, at 2617 East Franklin. Built in 1856, this house remained in the family of Mr. Smith until 1900.
![[HOR]](http://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/largefs.rvahubmedia/rvahub/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/John-D-Smith-House-2.jpg)
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This whole block between Twenty-sixth and Twenty-seventh is an interesting example of the houses built in the late ’fifties under neo-Greek influence. The location is particularly impressive, the back porches sharing a magnificent view over the James River.
(Library of Congress) — Beers Illustrated Atlas of the Cities of Richmond & Manchester, 1877 — Plate M — showing ownership by Maria Smith
The Smith house was the most satisfactory of those still remaining, until its step-gables were injured in a storm a few years ago and replaced by simple slanting gables. A comparison of its present appearance with our photograph demonstrates forcibly the charm that this type of gable-end added to a dwelling. [HOR]
June 2019
There are two John D. Smiths, both buried in Hollywood Cemetery, dying in 1861 and 1867 respectively. Neither left much in the way of a public record, so it’s not possible to tell who was the actual owner of the house or to say much more about it.
(ProQuest® Sanborn Maps Geo Edition™) — Sanborn Insurance Maps of Richmond (1925) — Plate 208 — showing concrete steps between Franklin & Main Streets
However, the house’s position at the southwest intersection of Franklin and Twenty-Seventh Streets is interesting to note. As you can see in the Beers map above, Twenth-Seventh used to extend all the way to Main Street, which would have made for a steep road similar to nearby Twenty-Third Street. The Sanborn maps of 1905 show this road still in place, but by 1925 it had been replaced by the concrete steps which remain today.
(John D. Smith House is part of the Atlas RVA! Project)
Print Sources
- [HOR] Houses of Old Richmond. Mary Wingfield Scott. 1941.
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