1000 E Clay St
Richmond, VA, USA

National Register of Historic Places - Benjamin Watkins Leigh House (Wickham-Leigh House)

Statement of Significant:

The townhouse known as the Benjamin Watkins Leigh House was built by John Wickham between 1812 and 1816. Wickham's daughter, Julia, who married Benjamin Leigh, received the house from her father, and the couple made it their residence. Benjamin Leigh, a noted jurist and lawyer, helped in the revision of the Virginia Constitution in 1831. He was an ardent supporter of states' rights, and served in the United States Senate during the Jackson administration. Leigh died in 1849, and the house was sold to Lieutenant Governor John M. Gregory. The property eventually passed into the hands of Mrs. Julia M. Sprately who sold the house to the Sheltering Arms Hospital in 1932. The house is now owned by the Medical College of Virginia and is used for offices.
Although rich in historical associations, the Leigh House is a fine Federal townhouse. It plays a very significant role, both architecturally and historically, in one of Richmond's most venerable neighborhoods.