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Richmond Centre (Virginia Electric and Power Building)

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Virginia Electric and Power Building
1913, Alfred C. Bossom. 702 E. Franklin St.

This exuberant early high-rise tower has a fine three-story base of Corinthian pilasters and seven-story shaft finished with a two-story crown entablature that has a frieze of giant Palladian windows. Originally, the top of the building boasted a roof garden encircled by large electric lanterns that were lit nightly. Altogether, this tour de force of architecture and special effects was one of Richmond's earliest attempts at real estate as marketing tool.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Richard Guy Wilson et al.
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Citation

Richard Guy Wilson et al., "Richmond Centre (Virginia Electric and Power Building)", [Richmond, Virginia], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/VA-01-RI151.

Print Source

Buildings of Virginia: Tidewater and Piedmont, Richard Guy Wilson and contributors. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002, 218-219.

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