The Source for Richmond Architecture and Design Information

Reading List: Twentieth-Century Richmond: Planning, Politics, and Race 

Christopher Silver1984University of Tennessee Press342 pages Why does Richmond look the way it looks? Why are highways located where they are? Where did the line between Richmond and Henrico originate? Why have we settled this region in sprawling suburbs instead of compact districts? Why are the interests of minorities and the poor consistently sidelined in …

Reading List: Genius in the Garden

George C. Longest 1992 Virginia State Library and Archives 218 pages Decades after his death, owning a garden designed by Richmond landscape architect Charles Gillette (1886–1969) is still a marker of status and taste. “Gillette Gardens,” as they are known, pepper the city’s wealthy West End and hide behind some of the architectural treasures of …

Portfolio: Under Construction IV

In this installment of Under Construction, the fourth in the series, we bring you a sampling of projects underway in the city. Some are nearly finished, like City View Place, a new residential development in Manchester designed by 3 North Architects. Others, including The Current, an infill project in Manchester designed by Hickok Cole, are …

Current: First Unitarian Universalist Church Wins Award from AIA

Each year, the American Institute of Architects’ Virginia Chapter presents its Test of Time Award to a building between 25 and 50 years old that has served its tenants and the wider community admirably. This year’s winner is the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Richmond’s Carillon District designed by the notable late architect Ulrich Franzen.  …

Reading List: Spying on the South

Tony Horwitz 2019 Penguin Press 417 pages Few designers in American history have had a greater effect on the nation’s cities than Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903). Olmsted is well known as a pioneer of landscape architecture and for his role in designing New York City’s Central Park, but few know of his stint as a …

PORTFOLIO: UNDER CONSTRUCTION III

As winter draws to a close, so do a series of projects under construction around central Richmond. From downtown towers to residential infill, they run the gamut of scales and uses. The face of Richmond is changing, perhaps more rapidly than usual, as the back-to-the-city movement happening all across America outlasts its detractors. In this …

Modern Architectural Sculpture in Richmond, 1927 – 1960

This article comes to us from guest writer, Robert Winthrop. Winthrop is partner at Winthrop, Jenkins, and Associates, a Virginia based architecture firm specializing in historic renovation. Historic buildings have also been his focus in numerous writings and lectures. As author of The Architecture of Jackson Ward, Cast and Wrought: The Architectural Metalwork of Downtown Richmond, Virginia, …

Opinion: Rethinking Monument Avenue

­ The following is an opinion article from contributor Robert P. Winthrop. Winthrop is partner at Winthrop, Jenkins, and Associates, a Virginia based architecture firm specializing in historic renovation. Historic buildings have also been his focus in numerous writings and lectures. As author of The Architecture of Jackson Ward, Cast and Wrought: The Architectural Metalwork of Downtown Richmond, …

Opinion: Reading American History in an Architectural Detail

In recent developments around town, a new design trend has emerged. Architects of residential buildings of modest heights, as little as three or four stories, are opting to change the facade material of the uppermost floor, and sometimes create a slight setback. The effect is often to cheapen the structure, exposing the main facade for …

William Chilton, a Designer of Dominion’s New Downtown HQ, Lectures in Tokyo

    Richmond-based energy giant Dominion is developing a new headquarters in Downtown, scheduled for completion in 2019. New Haven, Connecticut based Pickard Chilton Architects is designing the project, with Kendall/Heaton Associates of Houston as architect of record. On October 26th, William Chilton, a principal at Pickard Chilton, gave a lecture in Tokyo to the …