The Source for Richmond Architecture and Design Information

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 …

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, …

Walking Tour: Architecture at Virginia Commonwealth University

The first in what will be a series, this walking tour highlights some of the most significant architecture built by Virginia Commonwealth University at its Monroe Park Campus. Images and notes on each building can be seen by clicking the pins in the map above. You can view the map in full screen mode by clicking the …

Neighborhood Profile: Gilpin Court

Perhaps no other neighborhood in Richmond has been the object of as much stigmatization as Gilpin Court. Topography, racial discrimination, contemporary infrastructure, and public housing developments have all played a role in isolating this valuable piece of the city. Though these issues continue to obscure the history and culture which remain there, the resurgence of …

Neighborhood Profile: Newtowne West

For a city that prides itself on its network of distinct neighborhoods, perhaps Richmond has paid too little attention to Newtowne West. Then again, its obscurity is as much a result of the infrastructure and topography which surround it as intentional neglect.  This small neighborhood is bound by Broad Street to the south, Lombardy Avenue …

Architectural Ancestry: John Eberson in Richmond

  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, …

Depression Era Public Buildings in Richmond

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, …