Browse Exhibits (8 total)
Franklin Street Gym
A history of the Franklin Street Gym from the time it was built to plans for the future. Exhibit includes a brief history of RPI gyms prior to the Franklin Street Gym and the Cary Street gym.
From Electric Trolley Cars to VCU Art Studios: "The Depot" is Transformed
In his article, Depot Delight, Edwin Slipek calls The Depot "a gem of a building…a triumphal Roman arch glistening in the daylight." But this has not always been the case. Once a lively station for electric trolley passengers to embark or disembark traveling on their journey between Richmond and Ashland, Virginia, this structure was left uninhabited, standing in disrepair for several years. In 2013, the Virginia Commonwealth University started renovations that would transform this once neglected historical site into a building, alive again with student passengers making their way towards new destinations in the world of art. Its renovated interior is now filled with art classes, dance / art studios, and art exhibit space. The Depot is perfectly located as the connection between two other VCU art buildings: art studio building located at Broad and Shafer, and the Institute for Contemporary Art currently being built at the southwest corner of Broad and Belvidere.
Grace Street and the Grace Street Residence Centers North and South
A short history of the 800 and 900 blocks of West Grace Street culminating with the building of the Virginia Commonwealth University West Grace Street Residence Centers.
How the 800 and 900 blocks of West Grace Street transitioned during the span of 1970-2015, what was there before VCU and how VCU has changed the landscape of the area.
Negotiating Adjacencies
A history of VCU's relationships with bordering neighborhoods Oregon Hill and Carver.
Rhoads Hall Dormitory at VCU
Rhoads Hall, dedicated in May of 1968 was a symbol of the new Virginia Commonwealth University. It was VCU's first "on purpose" dormitory, a high-rise that accomodates 700 students and contains 18 floors. Rhoads Hall is conveniently located by Monroe Park giving students close access to the Cabell library and the student commons.
Theresa Pollak School of the Arts Building
The Pollak Building was completed in 1971, two years after the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia merged to form Virginia Commonwealth University. it was the first dedicated space for the arts program which was founded by Theresa Pollak in 1928.
VCU-RVA Community Space of Seamless Interchange
What and where does community integrative exchanges occur on the Virginia Commonwealth University campus? In addition, where are there potential spaces to increase this occurrence?
This exibit explores community-inclusion through the space and place of VCU. This project seek to access design efforts that create seamless interaction between the RVA community intertwining with the evergrowing student community.
Virginia Commonwealth University Community Outreach
Since its Virginia Legislature charter in 1967[1] Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has grappled with implementing the most effective business practices to offer academic opportunities to surrounding Richmond non-traditional community members. Providing the appropriate mix of services which directly enrich and improve life outside the walls of an urban higher education institution was a guiding factor in VCU's educational goals and has been a moving target for VCU to identify and where to house those services for the most effective source for community members.
Most helpful to this research has been the Virginia Commonwealth University Digital Library as well as their Facilities Management Office, and also relevant Richmond state government offices. These agencies were targeted because they have archived materials to uncover the associated building architecture and location on campus as community service begins a new life for Richmond’s urban university - Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).
[1] Virginia Legislature approved the Report of the Commission for the establishment of a proposed state-supported University in the Richmond Metropolitan Area [Edward A. Wayne, Chairman]. which brought the academic resources of the Richmond Profesional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia together to form public Virginia Commonwealth University as it is known today.