June, 2018

Repurpose, Renovate, Build New — Modern Aesthetic in Fan District in Richmond

Sprinkled throughout the Fan District a love of Modern and especially Modern Architecture is steadily appearing much to the delight and approval of Modern enthusiasts in Richmond. Of particular note are examples on both Floyd Avenue and Cary Street. Built from the ground up, six modern row houses emerged on Floyd Avenue. Sensitive to the history of established row houses built between 1895 to 1920, these new row houses echo the past with clever mixed use materials— wood, glass, brick and steel. The angularity and forward facing modern row houses are completely modern both in looks and purpose. Privacy screens, step up entrances, and balconies all lend to an appealing modern interpretation of the row house.

On Cary St. an existing, an old store front coupled with three vertically redesigned apartments have new life. The old store front has emerged as neighborhood restaurant, Olio, and the three apartments have balconies to enjoy views of street life. Further down on Cary St., Johannas Design Architects, a firm known for their ability to make buildings both beautiful and viable, repurposed an existing ware house into converted garden condos. Across the courtyard from the warehouse, newly built condos make use of brick, glass, tile, aluminum and steel to echo some of the same features of the existing warehouse.