Thursday, June 5, 2008

Richmond: Bricks & Mortar

Richmond's original train terminal, now the Science Museum.
The building was designed by John Russell Pope, who also designed
The National Gallery of Art and the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.

These are just photos of some buildings I stumbled upon going from one site to the next along Richmond's Broad Street.

Lucky Strike Factory in the warehouse district. It's now the site of new start-ups.


Original advertising on the side of an old, brick building on East Broad Street



Richmond's original City Hall. The current City Hall is an unattractive minimalist
monstrosity of concrete and glass. This building is much more intriguing and reminds
me of the City and County Building in Salt Lake City.


Richmond's old City Hall is near the Confederate White House and adjacent to the Virginia State House. Richmond's current mayor is L. Douglas Wilder who was also Virginia's governor and the first African-American governor in the United States.

I hope you've enjoyed this tour of Virginia's capital city! It's only a snapshot, but well worth the visit. I know I'll be going back again. And soon!

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 5/08

4 comments:

Maya said...

I love the contrast of old and new in that photo! These shots really make me want to visit. Such history in that town.

Janet Kincaid said...

Maya: Richmond is definitely a mix of both. And they've done a good job, as far as I can see, of revitalizing and cleaning up the city. Apparently, after the Civil War, the city was pretty much depressed for decades, but they've really pulled it together in the last 20 years or so.

As a southern city, Richmond lacks some of the charm of say Savannah or Charleston, the vibrancy of New Orleans (pre-Katrina), or the sophistication of Atlanta, but I think it's going to come into its own as a great southern city. At the very least, it is certainly a city worth visiting, particularly from an historical perspective. Plus, it's between Jamestown and Williamsburg, so it could be a nice four or five day trip.

LG said...

I love, LOVE old painted advertising on brick buildings. So glad you captured that.

I dig the photo blog ... I'm not sure WHY it's taken me so long to check it out, but it's great. Now it's got me thinking about doing one ...

Janet Kincaid said...

LG: Me, too! And it's getting harder and harder to find buildings like this.

I love doing this blog! It's a ton of fun and it's a great way for people near and far to see our nation's capitol for free! You should start a blog. Your photography is amazing!