On May 10th, I traveled down to Richmond with a friend who had gone to VCU for college there. Apart from my trip to Barboursville, it was the first time in a long while that I had been anywhere away from the apartment. Having been fully vaccinated in early March, we both felt comfortable enough to try venturing somewhere more populated than ye olde churchyard.
I had been to Richmond only twice before. Once in grad school with friends to go see one of their friends at the University of Richmond. The other time was also in grad school with my thesis advisor, Richard Guy Wilson, touring early 19th century architecture. On neither trip did I really have the opportunity to wander around and discover the city for myself but the idiom of “third time’s the charm” proved true here.
I was amazed by the number of townhouses surrounding VCU that had Corinthian columns. Never had I noticed so many in one city before and they were all incorporated in unique ways that demonstrated immense familiarity with classical architecture. Such knowledge and comfort with use would have made Thomas Jefferson proud following his design for the Virginia State Capitol nearby.
Attention to detail was equally applied to decorative grilles protecting windows but I was particularly impressed by The Mosque theater. Built for the Acca Temple Shriners, it was designed in a Moorish Revival style around 1925 with minarets, and copper domes covered by ornamental tiles.
Comments