Spring break is past now and it seems I have been all too lax in reporting my research findings. Prior to the break I took a trip up to Washington, D.C. to visit the Library of Congress' Prints & Photographs Division, where the original Clifton drawings are preserved and housed in cold storage. My appointment [...]
Tag: Richmond
Clifton in Google perspective
Here is an 1876 map showing the Clifton Hotel (red outline) in relation to modern day. The neighboring Ballard Hotel (just to the south of the red outline on the same block) was built in 1855, closed along with the Exchange Hotel in 1896 (after suffering from new competitor The Jefferson Hotel) and demolished around [...]
Tracing Richmonder Benjamin James Harris
First owner of Clifton, Benjamin James Harris, has an interesting, yet spotty history. I am working to uncover as much about him as possible, in the hopes of establishing a feasible connection to the commission from Latrobe. So far my chronology is: 1808, March Harris owned a house at 11th & Main, called “Harris’s High [...]
Gilbert J. Hunt, Revisited
As I was driving home from VCU I stopped to snap a picture of a chimney that caught my eye. Last fall I worked on a project - a row of townhomes at the 800 block of South Cathedral Place. By examining a number of clues, I ended up suggesting that it was likely that [...]
Clifton and George R. Tolman
Part of my project research on Clifton revolves around the final recorded inspection of the property that took place in 1903 as demolition was taking place, and were subsequently published in a 1904 edition of American Architect & Building News (page 21 and previous pages). This documentation was conducted by a man by the name [...]
A preservation-focused city plan is possible
Most of what we learned about Preservation, we learned from Charleston. Historic Charleston Foundation has partnered with the City to adopt a groundbreaking plan that provides Charleston with a strong preservation-based roadmap for its future. Click HERE to watch a video to hear what they have tediously established, and have been recognized by the National [...]
Special Presentation on Fan Architecture
Join The Fan District Association on Tuesday, February 9th at 6:30 p.m., at Fox School, for a special hour-long reprise of “The ‘Palladian Motif’ and Richmond’s Fan District,” two illustrated lectures on the surprising history of some beautiful Fan windows. These lectures were originally given as the opening session of VCU’s 17th Symposium on Architectural History last November. Charles Brownell, Professor of Art History at [...]
And new research begins: Latrobe’s Clifton House
As I launch into the spring semester, along with new knowledge comes the research on a specially-selected topic by Dr. Brownell: The Clifton House. As I launch into the spring semester, along with new knowledge comes the research on a specially-selected topic by Dr. Brownell: The Clifton House. This house, attributed to Latrobe, once stood [...]
What is Quoit Club?
If you are like me and have an interest in Richmond's rich history and architectural, urban and rural landscapes, you may enjoy learning more about Quoit Club. The Historic Richmond Foundation has an organized group of young (and young-at-heart) Richmonders who share this interest and who get together to attend private tours, events, lectures, and [...]
Wintery Richmond City
A few shots of The Fan from this weekend's snow...
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