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 …
Willow Lawn Shopping Center opened in Richmond’s Near West End in 1956. The development was a new frontier in the city, giving concrete form to the postwar American Dream of middle class suburbanity. In the mall’s periphery a new type of suburban landscape was being developed. Offices, hotels, and apartments were created, replicating the economic …
Originally Posted on January 4th, 2014. After a slow period during the late aughts, Richmond is building again. Whether through private investments catching the wave of residential development in the city’s center, VCU’s seemingly endless expansion or the city’s own public works projects, it is a pleasure to see cranes mingling with buildings in Richmond. …