The Manchester Residential and Commercial Historic District, south of the James River in the city of Richmond, illustrates the growth of a community from a scattered 17th-century settlement to a thriving port in the 18th and 19th centuries. Manchester was an independent city from 1874 until it was consolidated with Richmond in 1910. When listed in the registers early in the 21st century, the Manchester Residential and Commercial Historic District contained 251 buildings, of which only 36 were non-contributing. The buildings range from modest to elaborate and include schools, churches, and government buildings mixed with residential areas. Hull Street, the major thoroughfare, is lined with typical commercial buildings of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Meeting halls, movie houses and restaurants are interspersed. Bainbridge, Porter, and Perry Streets retain a variety of two-story, detached dwellings. The buildings throughout the district exhibit a variety of architectural styles, construction methods, and craftsmanship.

Amendments were made in 2005 and 2016 to the original 2000 nomination for the Manchester Residential and Commercial Historic District, and those amendments are incorporated into the PDF linked above.

In 2006, the Manchester Residential and Commercial Historic District boundary was increased to include 12 residential buildings constructed between 1900 and 1929 that illustrate the area’s growth in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These new additions highlight the period when Manchester was incorporated into the City of Richmond. Architectural styles represented include Craftsman, Colonial Revival, Italianate, and Queen Anne.
[VLR Listing 9/6/2006; NRHP Listing 11/2/2006]

In 2018, the full extent of the Manchester Residential and Commercial Historic District’s boundaries were examined and four discrete areas identified to justify expansion of the district’s boundaries.  The Manchester Residential and Commercial Historic District 2018 Boundary Increase has been listed under the DHR ID number 127-7195.