This Day in Henrico History: Nov. 9 – Henrico completes its courthouse at 22nd and East Main streets

On Nov. 9, 1896, Henrico County completed the red brick courthouse at 22nd and East Main streets that would serve its courts for nearly eight decades.

Architect Carl August Ruehrmund designed the Romanesque building, with its prominent towers, stone base and arched entrance. Contractors William Trexler and Richard E. Elmore built it after supervisors approved the project in December 1895. It cost approximately $20,000.

The courthouse stood in an unusual setting: a county government property surrounded by the city of Richmond. Although the city had annexed the surrounding neighborhood, state legislation preserved the courthouse property as part of Henrico’s Fairfield District.

The building remained Henrico’s courthouse until 1974, when the county moved its courts to the new complex on Parham Road. Some county departments continued using the old government center into the late 1980s.

Its completion marked the final major courthouse built for Henrico at a site that had served county government since the 18th century.