Monumental Church
- Also Known As: Monumental Episcopal Church
Monumental Church is a nationally significant memorial in honor of the victims of a disastrous theater fire. The building is also among America's earliest and most distinctive Greek Revival churches designed by one of the nation's most important early architects. The Richmond Theatre was in a wood-frame building that stood on the site of Monumental Church in the opening decades of the 19th century. This theater was a center of activity in Richmond during the busy winter social season. Tragically, disaster struck in December 1811. Stage scenery caught on fire. The fire spread quickly and engulfed the building. More than 70 citizens, including the governor, burned or suffocated in the melee to escape. The toll would have been greater without the heroic efforts of Gilbert Hunt, a slave blacksmith, and others who rescued individuals from the conflagration. - NPS