A pocket park can be defined as a small landscaped space that provides a sitting or recreation area, usually constructed on a vacant or underutilized lot. Pocket parks, while little and often hidden, can increase surrounding home ownership values, fill in an irregular plot of infrastructure convergence, and provide a convenient solution to finding …
A new 10-story apartment building is proposed for the north-west corner of Grace and Belvidere streets. Currently, the site is occupied by a BP gas station. In 2015, the block will be also be home to VCU’s new Institute for Contemporary Arts designed by noted architect Steven Holl. The apartments, designed by Richmond’s BOB Architecture, will …
A major new development is headed for Richmond in the form of the First Freedom Center and Hotel. The building, which was approved by city council on Monday (the 23rd), will be built on the corner of 14th and Cary Street in Shockoe Slip. This site is now used as surface parking but it was …
In mid 2011, the Cambridge office of the internationally renowned firm Hargreaves Associates was awarded a $490,000 commission from the city for a (re)development of Richmond’s Riverfront. The firm has already undertaken successful riverfront plans for cities including San Francisco, Louisville, Houston and others. This month, the final draft of the Riverfront Plan was unveiled. …
On April 25, the School of the Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University announced plans for an Institute for Contemporary Art. The new 38,000 square foot building to house the interdisciplinary program will be built at Richmond’s busiest intersection, Belvidere and Broad streets. The structure will contain gallery spaces, a 247-seat performance space, café, classroom, sculpture …
Steven Holl, world famous architect and winner of the 2011 AIA Gold Medal, unveiled his plan for the new VCU Institute of Contemporary Arts today. The 32 million dollar project is a landmark achievement for Virginia Commonwealth University’s highly rated School of the Arts. The building will sit at the south west corner of Broad …
On Sunday, Mayor Dwight Jones introduced RVAgreen, Richmond’s plan for sustainable urban development in the years ahead. Fifty-five suggestions are included in the proposal including everything from bike sharing to a city beautification program. The most captivating and dramatic proposal in the plan is the resurrection of Richmond’s trolley system. Richmond was the first city …
Architect: MSTSD Architects, Atlanta Dates: 2010 Address: 501 South 5th Street Richmond VA When considering the new Meadwestvaco headquarters along the Richmond riverfront, several hugely important positives come to mind. The fact that a large company relocated to the Richmond area is, in and of itself, an achievement. The decision to reject the suburbanity of …
Architect: Thomas S. Stewart Dates: 1845 Address: 1200 E. Marshall Street Richmond VA We often look at buildings, if only subconsciously, as what we want them to be. In the case of the Egyptian Building, the preserved, ‘un-ruined’ nature, coloring and stereotyped images could easily be perceptually subverted to tackiness, a tawdry example of American …
The success of the VCU basketball program seems to have enlivened an old debate in Richmond: what should be done about the Coliseum? Should it be renovated to included more amenities? Should it be replaced entirely? A recent Richmond Times-Dispatch article mentioned a number of visitors who think the Coliseum needs to be torn down …