Richmond, VA Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)

3 governs buildings and site alterations. Monuments, markers, and naming decisions instead go through the History and Culture Commission, created with indefinite duration by Richmond City Code § 2-1377 for the purpose of providing to the Mayor, the Department of Planning and Development Review, and City Council information and advice concerning matters of historical and cultural significance. The Commission has nine members, five appointed by the Mayor and four by City Council, chosen for expertise in architecture, archaeology, history, art, culture, or economic development under § 2-1379, and each serves a staggered three-year term under § 2-1380.

Its duties, set out in § 2-1381, include establishing a formal historical marker program, designing the City's markers with the Department of Planning and Development Review, the Public Arts Commission, and the Department of Public Works, and building a public application and nomination procedure with a regularly updated public list of every historical marker in the City. The same section directs the Commission to prepare a report listing a full inventory of street, bridge, or public space names associated with the Confederate States of America or enslavers and outline a process, working with the City administration and the City Attorney, for the renaming of such locations.

Administratively, the Commission needs five voting members for a quorum, meets at least every two months, and reports annually to the Mayor, Council, and the Director of Planning and Development Review each October under § 2-1382.