The state of public transit in Richmond may not be strong, but we are more fortunate than many US cities of our size to be served by the Greater Richmond Transit Company, or GRTC. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, GRTC has outperformed many other systems, in part because of the “Zero Fare” policy instituted during …
For nearly two centuries, the VCU Medical Center has been expanding steadily in the Court End neighborhood of central Richmond. This vast complex of hospitals, classrooms, offices, laboratories, and dorms has become an important engine of Richmond’s wellbeing and growth. It is also an increasingly important center for research, being one of less than …
Images captions in order: Beckerdite Scholley House, Campbell Hall at the University of Virginia, Middleton Inn, W. G. Clark House, Croffead House floor plan, Croffead House Earlier this month, W.G. Clark, one of Virginia’s most accomplished architects, was honored with the 2023 Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. …
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, …
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 …
This article addresses the development proposal in Shockoe Bottom unveiled by Mayor Jones in November of last year, which has been headlined by a new baseball stadium. A counter opinion article from Don O’Keefe was posted last week. More information about the Shockoe Bottom plan can be found here: So the mayor wants to build a baseball stadium in Shockoe Bottom with …
Architect: Philip Johnson, renovation by Baskervill Dates: 1968, renovation in 2007 Address: 200 North 22nd Street Philip Johnson’s WRVA radio station, now the ChildSavers building, goes beyond padding Richmond’s architectural resume with an illustrious name. The building functions as a beacon of creativity and innovation in one of Richmond’s oldest neighborhoods. The materiality of concrete …
Having a landmark architect design in a city has always been an exciting event and the Federal Reserve Bank is no exception. Minoru Yamasaki implemented his often rigid principles without restraint; glass, aluminum and verticality harmonize in a building both sleek and monumental. Interestingly, he refrained from incorporating any arch or cornice elements into the …
Architect: MSTSD Architects, Atlanta Dates: 2010 Address: 501 South 5th Street Richmond VA When considering the new Meadwestvaco headquarters along the Richmond riverfront, several hugely important positives come to mind. The fact that a large company relocated to the Richmond area is, in and of itself, an achievement. The decision to reject the suburbanity of …
Architect: Thomas S. Stewart Dates: 1845 Address: 1200 E. Marshall Street Richmond VA We often look at buildings, if only subconsciously, as what we want them to be. In the case of the Egyptian Building, the preserved, ‘un-ruined’ nature, coloring and stereotyped images could easily be perceptually subverted to tackiness, a tawdry example of American …