The Virginia Engineering Company, later the Basic Construction Company, was one of the one hundred largest construction companies in the United States and was a significant builder in the eastern United States for almost seventy years. The company was one of the leading builders for the United States Army and Navy during World War I and World War II and for decades after. It also was chosen to complete hundreds of municipal, state, federal, and commercial projects valued at tens of millions of dollars every year. This company was founded in downtown Newport News and headquartered there for its entire history. Near the midpoint in its history, after several decades of huge success and massive projects during World War II, the company built an impressive headquarters building which would remain its corporate offices for the rest of its time as a large-scale general contractor. This building on the banks of the James River represented its staggering level of success through the end of World War II and its continued level of production for another four decades. The Basic Construction Company Headquarters Building also represents the incredible success of two generations of the Noland family starting and growing their business into a leading national construction company.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
DHR has registered more than 3,317 individual resources and 613 historic districts
DHR has engaged over 450 students in 3 highway marker contests
DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia