Tag Archives: civic

Lewis F. Powell, Jr. United States Courthouse

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Architect: Ammi B. Young; renovations and additions by Mifflin E. Bell, James Knox Taylor, James A. Wetmore
Dates: 1858; renovations and additions in 1889, 1912, 1932
Address: 1000 E. Main St

Originally used as the Customs House and Post Office of Richmond, the Lewis F Powell Jr. Courthouse occupies half of a block downtown, directly south on axis with the Capitol building. The architect, Ammi B. Young, was serving as the Supervising Architect of the Treasury, during which time he was responsible for the design of thirty custom houses and post offices in American cities as well as the Treasury Building in Washington DC. During the Civil War the Courthouse was used as offices for the Confederacy, including that of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, who was later indicted for treason in the same building.

The refined, grand Italianate structure was clad with local Petersburg granite over brick bearing walls and had a wood, inflammable roof, materials which protected it from the fire of 1865, one of only two buildings in the area who can claim to have survived. Young employed the use of structural wrought iron, something very innovative for federal buildings at the time. Quoins on every corner emphasize the solid, gray body of the building, planted firmly on Bank St, with its three porticoes looking up towards Capitol Square.

The growth of federal government in the 20th century caused a need for physical expansion of the building, as the addition in 1912 multiplied the building’s size by more than 12. Numerous other alterations, including an Art Deco annex, window replacement, interior floor demolition and addition and expansion of wings, while in keeping with the aesthetic style, have dramatically changed Young’s original image of the governmental structure. The building’s longevity, historical function and architectural prominence are not overlooked in Richmond; efforts in 1999 restored the Greek revival Main St, the latest in preservation efforts.

M.F.A

The Library of Virginia

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Architect: Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
Date: 1997
Address: 800 E. Broad St.

Designed by the internationally renowned firm of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the Library of Virginia brings a level of significance and sophistication to a critically civic stretch of East Broad Street. According to the architect, the structure was intended to be “a catalyst for reviving the city’s downtown.”

And it is an undeniably civic building, both in experience and aesthetic. In fact, its presence is almost camouflaged next to City Hall and near the federal courthouse. This stately, symmetrical composition is a backdrop to the trees on Broad Street; the large, angular metal awning extends over a raised entrance.

The library interior continues the same handsome maturity the facade exudes. A generous atrium serves as an interior courtyard, with views to the upper surrounding book stacks, which face an interior wall of glass. One of the nicest features of the design is the ceiling, a series of wide scoops that carry in soft light from clerestories in the library’s wings. The circulation path is clear and understandable, leading the visitor to research stations, study areas and more than 700,000 volumes. The building’s detailing is reserved but comfortable, with wood furniture complementing metal accents in mid-sized reading rooms.

However, the experience the library exterior gives the pedestrian is less accommodating. The sidewalk space is sparse and the building lacks in first floor transparency. Its mass extends across the whole block and is slightly removed from the street edge. While this creates a sense of monumentality and scale that is appropriate for the site, it isn’t an engaging structure. The Library of Virginia is nonetheless one of the most handsome buildings in Richmond, and while perhaps not a catalyst, certainly a positive institution on Broad Street.

M.F.A