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Virginia: Tidewater and Piedmont » Richmond Metropolitan Area » North of Richmond » Lawrence Chrysler-Plymouth Dealership

Lawrence Chrysler-Plymouth Dealership

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c. 1965. 4808 W. Broad St. (northeast corner of W. Broad St. and Staples Mill Rd. intersection)

Current strip architecture is often insubstantial, built to last only a generation. The Lawrence Plymouth-Dodge dealership exudes the pride of the “jet age” 1960s. The round showroom with a white undulating concrete “parachute” roof captures the eye. The formal allusion here may be to the University of Virginia's U Hall, a large sports arena in Charlottesville. The U Hall roof was a symbol of architectural daring and progress in Richmond, where the architectural aesthetic favors gable and hipped roofs, even on commercial buildings. The striking design features original slant “7”-shaped lampposts.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Richard Guy Wilson et al.
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Data

What's Nearby

Enterprise Center (Markel Building)
Arthur Ashe Monument
Albert H. Hill School
Monument Avenue: Maury Monument and 3100–3300 Blocks
Anne Hathaway Cottage

Citation

Richard Guy Wilson et al., "Lawrence Chrysler-Plymouth Dealership", [Richmond, Virginia], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/VA-01-RI375.

Print Source

Buildings of Virginia: Tidewater and Piedmont, Richard Guy Wilson and contributors. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002, 294-294.

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