2 North Fifth St 1808 One of the best examples of American federal architecture in a city with a dearth of it is the Hancock-Wirt-Caskie House, a courtly two story brick house in the Capitol District. The structure is easily associated with typical of federal-style architecture with its low roof pitch and strong geometries on …
Carneal & Johnston, Architects 1931 108 East Grace Street Sydnor and Hundley opened in 1931 on the fashionable Grace Street shopping corridor. The building was designed as offices and a showroom for one of city’s largest furniture dealers. Architects Carneal and Johnston were commissioned and the result is one of the most significant Art Deco …
1871 1301 East Cary Street No building in Richmond is more obviously responsive to its site than the Columbian Block. Neither named nor remembered for the imaginative hand of its unknown architect, the building has taken every possible cue from the block on which it sits. Thankfully, its prominent location on a slightly acute corner …
Architects: Moseley Architects Dates: 1870s, expansion 2010 Address: Ninth and Hull streets The Manchester neighborhood in South Richmond (formerly an independent city that merged with Richmond in 1910) severely deteriorated in the late-20th century and its handsome old stock of domestic buildings were all but obliterated by developer/speculators. The neighborhood, however, currently is experiencing a …
Muhlenburg Bros. with Noland & Baskervill 1903 900 West Franklin The Chesterfield Apartments opened in November 1903 as Richmond’s first high-rise apartment building. It was also the first building of its scale on the prosperous blocks of West Franklin Street near Monroe Park. The building holds a cherished place in Richmond’s collective memory as the home …
Architect: Ballou and Justice Dates: 1970 Address: 325 N. Harrison Street On Harrison Street at the eastern terminus of West Avenue lies the Virginia Commonwealth University’s Pollak Building. The building is occupied by various parts of the VCU School of the Arts including the office of the dean, and the graphic design, fashion, film, and …
Architect: Minard LaFever Date:1845 Address: Nine North Fifth Street When Presbyterian minister Moses D. Hoge commissioned a church design for his congregation, which was moving westward from Shockoe Hill toward Gamble’s Hill, he made a bold move. He eschewed classicism, which had been the architectural approach of most Richmond churches up to that time, and …
Norman Stewart 707 East Franklin Street 1844 In the mid 19th Century, Norman Stewart, a rich Scottish tobacco merchant, constructed five free-standing residences, which came to be known as “Stewart’s Row,” one of the finest blocks in Richmond. Featuring side-hall plans and a structure that consumed most of the narrow plots, the rational three story …
Architects: Charles H. Read, Jr.; The Glave Firm; and Glave & Holmes Architects Date: 1896 and additions and renovations Address: 3401 Brook Road, Richmond Travel along Brook Road through the Ginter Park neighborhood and you’ll unsuspectingly come upon Watts Hall. This glorious hulk of a building houses administrative offices, classrooms and a chapel at Union …
Architect: Marcellus Wright Dates: 1929 Address: 101 N. 5th Street Erected in 1929, the Hotel John Marshall immediately became an establishment in the city. It’s imposing entrances, grand ballrooms, and bombastic skyline signage were icons of Richmond’s then vibrant Grace Street corridor. The area was home to boutiques, restaurants, and department stores that attracted visitors …