In honor of National Architecture Week, we’ve put together a list of some of our favorite buildings in our hometown of Richmond, Virginia. In honor of making this exercise a little more fun, we’ve attached a song from the 1980s to each.
In no particular order:
Egyptian Building
Tucked away on VCU’s MCV campus, the Egyptian Building was built in 1846 and is considered one of the nation’s best examples of the Egyptian Revival style. The building, designed by Thomas S. Stewart, a noted Greek Revival architect, served as the first permanent home of the Medical Department of Hampden-Sydney College, which later became the Medical College of Virginia.
80s Song
Sleep-deprived medical students are often seen walking in peculiar fashion from the building’s administrative offices.
Virginia State Capitol
Named by PBS as one of the “10 Buildings that Changed America,” the Virginia State Capitol is probably the most well-known structure in Richmond. Thomas Jefferson sought to design a building that distinguished itself from the modest Georgian architecture that was imported from Great Britain and flourished during the colonial era. The design is inspired by the Maison Carrѐe, a Roman Temple in South France, and has influenced hundreds of civic buildings throughout the country.
80s Song
Often cited as the building that declared America’s architectural independence from Great Britain, Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” is a choice we can all stand up for.
VCU’s Institute for Contemporary Art
Opening later this month, VCU’s Institute for Contemporary Art is what we like to call here at Timmons Group, “super cool.” It made Architectural Digest’s list of “12 Most Anticipated Building of 2018” and has already transformed the intersection of Broad and Belvidere, one of the city’s primary gateways from I-95. Architect Steven Holl designed the building to have two entrances – one facing the VCU campus and the other facing the city, creating a literal connection between two communities that are becoming more and more intertwined.
80s Song
When the design of the ICA was unveiled in 2012, Holl opened an exhibition entitled “Forking Time” which outlined the project’s design process. I have no idea what “Forking Time” means, but it reminds me of the quintessential Cyndi Lauper jam, “Time after Time.”
