Discovering Richmond Part 3

We are once again in the Fan District for the third installment of the Discovering Richmond series. I am always drawn to this area, probably because it has the highest concentration of columns and porches in the Metro area. I took these pictures last winter to be honest, but they are no less interesting for being old.

For this set, I traveled down Boulevard. According to its Wikipedia entry it is a border between the Carytown/Museum District and the Fan District. It contains many architectural styles, including Late 19th And Early 20th Century American Movements, Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, and Late Victorian. 


For the architecture majors out there, I again promote taking as many pictures as possible. I'm considering making a facade catalog for myself, so i can use it for future Classical projects. It's also useful for letting you know what you can and can't do for windows. If you couldn't do it, then it wouldn't be built. 


We once had a project where one of my classmates pretty much copied a building out right, and the professor showered him with praise. You might think this is cheating or selling out to your own creativity, but some professors are more interested in a good design than one you think is completely unique. Of course, the argument is that nothing is unique or original and that everything that can be done already has. Do not, however, let this discourage you. Some teachers want design that all comes from you, some want you to do something different using classical concepts and designs. It all really comes down to your professor.


Here are my photos and I hope you enjoy them. I definitely enjoyed taking them, despite the cold.  

I'm pretty sure this was my starting point. I took photos of street signs only when the lighting made them legible. As you will see, I only have pictures of 2 despite walking down many blocks. This tells you what kind of lighting I was dealing with.

The first and last synagogue that I have seen in Richmond.

There are a lot of buildings dedicated to the Confederacy on this particular road. 

Columns to die for!

Richmond has many examples of beautiful windows. 

Daughters of the Confederacy Building

Christmas decorations everywhere, I think this was post-noel. 

I love the style of this building, which is a stark contrast to the snow and cold that surrounds it. It made me feel warmer just looking at it. 

The many details on this window are interesting, from the colored glass, to the carvings on top and the bright  color of the window itself.

I would love to use this opening design in one of my buildings. It reminds me of many doors and windows I have seen in Islamic architecture. 

I would hazard a guess that this facade is around 20 ft wide.

Another church, featuring trigylphs but no frieze. These buildings show many different examples for options for Classical design.

I shall follow that trail one day.

One of the many statues on Monument Ave. This one of Stonewall Jackson as you can see on the pedestal below. 

The intersection of Monument Ave. and Boulevard

A Visual Arts Studio/Gallery 

I'm pretty sure this is a church. Yup, definitely a church.

I need to walk this street again this summer, you can see the snow still in some of these photos, I can do it as a before and  after piece. I saw many churches that day, and I noticed that the design for them was very similar. The consistent idea of grand entrance involved columns, a grand stairway and a pediment. I will try to get more pictures of the residences on this road because they are very lovely, and feature many layered porches.

Discovering Richmond

Though you might not think it, photography and architecture go hand in hand.  We need them for site analysis, understanding our surroundings, capturing inspiration, and general information gathering. I'm always grabbing my camera to get inspired by my surroundings, no matter where I am. I am by no means a professional photographer but I enjoy taking pictures as a reminder of where I've been, and it helps me formulate ideas about where I want to go from there.

So for this summer, I've decided to have a photography series, based on things I see around my hometown of Richmond. There's a lot of history here, and its an architectural goldmine. The old school feel is so strong they're planning on having the new Lincoln movie filmed here. The buildings this place really shines in are residential and mercantile, with big sprawling estates not 5 minutes away from Cary town. It exemplifies the concept of vertical zoning, with live/work/play all inside the same structure.

So here's a glimpse through my camera lens, and hopefully you can use my pictures to help you in your work. These particular pictures were taken in the Fan district, on the West side of town. I've always loved this district for its history and beauty. Enjoy!

These buildings are part of an almost one block set. The center of the set is on the far right. 

An example of a live work building

Really loving the double balconies and the building color. 

They should probably get that looked at... 

A type of column capital I have never seen before.

Even though it is not part of the building design, a chair made out of a dress is still pretty interesting.

This gate reminded me of Japan

Even the backalleys here are picturesque

This house makes me wonder whether its either really old, or just really beat up.

In love with the column capitals and general facade design.

Same building as above, with a better view of the porch.

Currently admiring the balcony and color scheme of this particular building. 

A better view of the porch of the building above. 

Columns!

I am, for unexplained reasons extremely attracted to side alleys. Their practical application, I don't know but they are much more appealing to me then house right next to each other. Could it be the visual break, or do i just like small gates? The world may never know. 

More beautiful glass work on the windows

What have we learned from this? I am a sucker for columns, pretty glass, side alleys, and the color green. If I took a picture of your house, please let me know, I am not a creeper, I just like pretty houses. To all the architecture students out there, you should try getting out and taking as many pictures as possible, because you never know when you will see something that will inspire you for your next project. A picture is worth a thousand words, but Google Pictures can only do so much.