Henrico County Virginia has 38 places on the National Register of Historic Places including 7 places of National significance and 14 places of Statewide significance. Significant places include Fort Harrison National Cemetery, Glendale National Cemetery, Randolph, Virginia, Cottage, Reynolds Metals Company International Headquarters and Richmond National Cemetery.
Many famous people are associated with these Henrico County historic places including Thomas Jefferson, Virginia E. Randolph, John Rolfe, Edward Thurston Mankin, Laura Woodruff Watson and Leslie F. Watson.
Some of the country's most noteable architects helped create the Henrico County places including Montgomery C. Meigs, Montgomery C. Meigs, Gordon Bunshaft, Charles F. Gillette, unknown, W.L. Bottomley, Gillette, C.F., landscape, Edward Thurston Mankin, Herman Louis Jr. Duhring and Charles H. Senff. Prominent architectural styles found in Henrico Country are Colonial Revival, Greek Revival and Second Empire.
Historic Significance:
Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer:
Bunshaft, Gordon, Gillette, Charles F.
Architectural Style:
International Style
Area of Significance:
Architecture
Period of Significance:
1950-1974
Historic Function:
Commerce/Trade
Historic Sub-function:
Professional
Current Function:
Commerce/Trade
Current Sub-function:
Professional
Completed in 1958, the Reynolds Metals Company International Headquarters in Henrico County, Virginia, is an architectural masterpiece of the post-World War II era, embodying the zenith of mid-century Modernist corporate design. Designed by the legendary architect Gordon Bunshaft of the renowned firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the building serves as a monumental showcase for the company's signature product: aluminum. From its sleek curtain walls and structural framing to its innovative, automated giant aluminum sun louvers-which constituted the largest system of its kind in the world at the time of construction-virtually every detail of the building celebrates the versatility of the metal. Set within a meticulously planned, park-like landscape designed by master landscape architect Charles Gillette, the low-slung, shimmering structure appears to float over a large reflecting pool, seamlessly blending avant-garde industrial design with classical symmetry and natural beauty.
Beyond its architectural brilliance, the Reynolds headquarters is historically significant as a pioneering example of the post-war trend of corporate suburbanization. In relocating its administrative hub from downtown Richmond to a sprawling, pastoral campus in Henrico County, Reynolds Metals helped establish a new template for the American executive workspace, prioritizing automobile accessibility, manicured green space, and integrated employee amenities. The campus stands as a physical manifestation of mid-century corporate optimism, technological innovation, and economic prosperity. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000, the property remains one of the most influential and well-preserved examples of the International Style applied to a suburban corporate campus in the United States.