Charles T. Russell

He designed homes, churches, commercial buildings, and cultural landmarks that helped define the neighborhood. One of his earliest and most notable projects was the design of the St. Luke Building in 1910 for Maggie Walker, a prominent African American businesswoman and the first woman to charter a bank in the United States. Russell's design for the building, which originally housed Walker’s St. Luke Penny Savings Bank, is now a historic landmark. Another of his notable projects was the 1915 design of a home for Dr. William Henry Hughes, a prominent Black physician, and his extensive remodeling of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Jackson Ward. Russell altered the church’s design from Victorian Gothic to Neoclassical and added unique spires to the roof, replacing the traditional steeple. His work on the church helped solidify his reputation as an architect who could blend functionality with artistic design.

Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Russell continued to design significant buildings, such as the renovation of the Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church in Richmond in 1925. His work not only had a lasting impact on the physical architecture of the Black community but also played a crucial role in the economic development of Jackson Ward, creating spaces for Black-owned businesses, educational institutions, and churches to thrive. Russell was known for hiring primarily Black workers and contractors, which further supported the local economy and provided job opportunities within the Black community, an important aspect in an era of racial segregation and limited access to professional opportunities for African Americans.

One of Russell's final and most ambitious projects was his work on the Belgian Building at Virginia Union University in 1942. Originally constructed for the 1939 New York World’s Fair, the Belgian Building was a pavilion designed to showcase the country’s architecture and culture. After the outbreak of World War II and the German invasion of Belgium, the building was left behind and offered to various institutions in the United States. Virginia Union University was selected to receive the structure, and Russell was tasked with supervising its disassembly, transportation, and reconstruction on the university’s campus. The project was significant not only for its complexity but also as a symbol of Virginia Union’s growing influence as an educational institution for African Americans. 

Russell continued to work as an architect until his death on August 24, 1952. He was buried in Woodland Cemetery in Richmond, where many prominent African Americans are interred. Over the course of his career, he became a trailblazer for future generations of African American architects, contributing to the reshaping of the urban landscape of Richmond’s Black neighborhoods and providing a foundation for the continuing evolution of African American architectural practices. His work remains an integral part of Richmond's architectural history, particularly in Jackson Ward, where his buildings continue to serve as symbols of the cultural and economic vitality of the Black community during a time of racial segregation and disenfranchisement.