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About this collection
Published by Historic Richmond in 1986, the Broad Street Old and Historic District, Richmond, Virginia publication was intended as a guide for the owners and developers of projects located in the Broad Street Old and Historic District. The publication was a result of the collaborative efforts of the Historic Richmond Foundation, Richmond Renaissance, the Commission of Architectural Review, the Virginia Division of Historic Landmarks, and the Urban Design/Historic Preservation Section of the City of Richmond’s Department of Planning and Community Development.

The Broad Street Old and Historic district was designated on October 28, 1985, and initially spanned the area between Henry Street and First Street. After a 1995 district expansion, the District now covers more than 20 acres and 115 properties between Belvidere and First Streets in Richmond’s downtown.

Broad Street Old and Historic District, Richmond, Virginia discusses the unique history of Broad Street as a commercial center and its wealth of significant architecture with the aim to provide a “common framework for the renovation of shop exteriors, bringing out the best in the existing architecture of Broad Street and discouraging the introduction of inappropriate designs and materials.”

As such, the fully searchable publication features an inventory of architectural detail and guidelines for the renovation of Broad Street buildings focused on form, facade, materials, color and scale. Architectural detail delves into friezes, cornices and storefronts. Architectural commentary related to renovation and improvement of Broad Street buildings is provided on a block by block basis and is supported by detailed images. Each individual building is juxtaposed with others by an architectural triptych of sorts; each block features a historical 1920s panorama image, followed by a renovation drawing, and finished with a modern photograph. Over 50 historical images of Richmond are presented as part of the guide, providing an informative and fascinating look into the history of this stretch of Broad Street over time.

Copyright
This material is protected by copyright, and the copyright is held by Historic Richmond. Acknowledgement of the Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries as a source is requested.

Additional research information
This resource is housed in Special Collections and Archives at James Branch Cabell Library. For more information, please see the catalog record. Please direct reference and research inquires to libjbcsca@vcu.edu or call (804) 828-1108.

Other architectural digital collections that supplement and inform this publication include:
The Richmond Commission of Architectural Review Slide Collection
The Richmond Comprehensive Planning Slide Collection

Credits
VCU Libraries digitized this book in 2015. Drew Rollo supervised student employees, digitization, and quality control. Student employee Shannon Roulet assisted with digitization. Metadata Librarian Mary Anne Dyer created the metadata for this digital collection.