Architect: Pietro Belluschi Inc. with Jung / Brannen Associates
Date: 1978
Address: 1025 W. Grace Street
A stoic brutalist slab, the 12 story Dominion Place rises out of the leafy Fan District near the corner of Ryland Avenue and Grace Street. It is the closest Richmond has come to Unité d’Habitation, Le Corbusier’s famous housing tower in Marseille, France. The materials are concrete and glass, though some brick is used at the base and to delineate the central stair tower. The building features a communal roof terrace. The asymmetrical facade and rhythmically changing bands of horizontal window contrast with much of the surrounding architecture, but seem in place in the lively Lower Fan.
Dominion Place was designed specifically for seniors and those with disabilities. Rents are subsidized relative to income rather than set at market rate. By offsetting the youthful demographic base of nearby Virginia Commonwealth University, the building forms a constructive part of the Fan District. Dominion Place adds texture, diversity, and 250 much needed units to the neighborhood.
DOK
Write a Comment