Bellevue is a snugly-configured, early 20th century Northside community of some 1,200 houses. It boasts an architecturally-dizzying array of traditional styles. Charles McGuigan, the editor of North of the James (a monthly tabloid), captured the spirit of the place beautifully: “Bellevue has sidewalks and a maze of alleys, and though many of the streets are …
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 …
Bon Air is a neighborhood in northern Chesterfield County. Located roughly 8 miles west of Downtown Richmond, Bon Air was formed as a getaway for wealthy Richmonders. The name, meaning “good air” in french, was selected to evoke the bucolic countryside to which Richmonders could now escape. The village was formed around the Bon Air …