During my tour of 819 South Cathedral Place with Mr. Harrow from the Virginia Baptist Mission Board, I learned that at the point that the dwellings were connected and under ownership of the Catholic Diocese, all the powering had been centralized and sourced from the basement of 819. Mr. Harrow said that they were finalizing [...]
A Visit to 819 S. Cathedral Place
On Tuesday of this week, I was very fortunate to meet with Mr. Walter Harrow from the Virginia Baptist Mission Board who was so incredibly kind to give me a tour of 819 South Cathedral Place, the westernmost unit of our row. This is also the unit that appears to be the first sale and [...]
Matching Porch Styles Around Town
As I've driven around over the past few weeks I find myself paying less attention to landmarks and more to the architectural details of the homes I pass, specifically porches. Every so often my eye catches some familiar lattice work and I conduct a sudden turn at the nearest intersection to go around the block [...]
An element of the hardware ID’d
Went through a 1970's reprint of John Leighton's Suggestions On Design, offering just over 100 plates (1000's of drawings) of motifs he designed. Came across a match identified as Moorish with the cubic overlapping and interlacing ornamentation terminating with a floral motif. Many of the Moorish designs also suggested a variation in texture in the [...]
Looking for a motif
It's been a week since posting; lots of non-school work keeping me busy this past few days. I am hoping to uncover and identify a motif in the porches of our properties. Dr. Brownell is curious about a possible Indian inspiration here. There are also come similarities in the porch detail and the hardware pattern, [...]
Findings on George W. Stevens, resident of 819
Some small developments and findings on George W. Stevens, so far first owner-occupier of one of the row houses. His obituary printed in the New York Times notes his sudden death while dictating a letter at the age of 69. He had four children, the first his only girl, Helen Stevens who married Episcopal minister [...]
1897 Resident of 813 Floyd Avenue Makes National Headlines
According to Richmond directories in 1897, the Freemans who resided at 813 Floyd Avenue were joined by Dr. Ernest C. Levy and his wife Rachel, a couple who were probably looking for a more suburban address than their prior East Grace Street home. Dr. Levy was a City Health Officer, and was later promoted to [...]
A Day In Washington, D.C.
This past Wednesday was a really great day with my Mom in Washington. She joined me on a multi-stop tour of some interesting spots recommended by Dr. Brownell. Our first stop was at the James E. Blaine House at 2000 Massachusetts Avenue in the Dupont Circle neighborhood. This is "the oldest remaining mansion in the [...]
Help from VCU Real Estate Services
Last week I visited VCU's Real Estate Services office to have a look at the title polices and environmental assessments of the row on South Cathedral to see if I could garner any new clues. Mitzi and Josh were very helpful in locating the files I needed to view. The deeds on file for the [...]
Exciting Find
While reading Janet Foster's The Queen Anne House, I unexpectedly came across a fantastic image to include in the final presentation. The reveal will be then, but here's a clue... it has to do with the industrial vernacular in the interior of our homes.
renaissancerva.co 