1882
2025 Burford Rd
In the late 19th century, before the advent of residential air conditioning, well to do Richmonders escaped the summer heat by retreating to Bon Air, a resort community west of the city. The best off among them could keep a private summer residence, but many others took up rooms at the Bon Air Hotel, the center of social life in the area since its construction in 1880. An annex to the hotel, picture above, was completed in 1882.
The Annex is built in Stick Style, like many buildings of the period in Bon Air. French doors open onto a porch that surround the hotel on all sides, shading the structure and allowing for cooling cross breezes. The porch is adorned with delicate brackets and decorative cut-out railings which, combined with the jerkinhead roofs on the projecting front bays, give the impression of an oversized cottage. The architecture is well calibrated to its function as a summer resort.
Activities at the hotel ranged from croquet to jousting. Bowling and billiards were later made available, though only to male customers. Richmond and Danville Railway inaugurated service to Bon Air 1882, bringing with it a wave of new vacationers and, soon, commuters. The main hotel was destroyed by fire in 1889, by which time Bon Air was already becoming an independent village.
Today, the hotel annex is an apartment building. It is a contributing structure in the Bon Air Historic District which was given the status of National Historic District in 1988.
DOK
Image Credit:
The map above was obtained from an 1882 tourist pamphlet published by the Richmond and Danville Railroad entitled Bon Air: Its Attractions for Summer Residents; Its Enjoyable Resources for Excursionists. This version of the map was digitally edited by Morgan Riley. A scan of the original version can be found here.
Note: a previous version of this article erroneously stated that Bon Air was served by streetcar service, not the Richmond and Danville Railway.
Write a Comment