Condo Personality

Pretty much everything has a personality.

Obviously people have a personality (and not all of them are great!), but so do areas of a city, neighborhoods and, condominiums.

And while each of us will be attracted to a little something different in a condo, here are some simple personality traits in some of the condos around the city of Richmond.

Polished

While Richmond does not have condo buildings on the scale of say New York, DC, San Francisco or even Austin, we do have a decent sample of larger scale condos that have a more finished and polished feel.

Generally, a more polished condo is newly constructed, high rise or mid rise, well secured ( sometimes with security guards), elevators, well appointed common spaces, and secured / covered parking.

The condos below would be the more polished condos in the Richmond market

• Vistas on the James
• Riverside on the James
• Rockett’s Landing
• The Reserve Phase II (9 N 25th St)

Formal

Richmond is an old city (at least by American standards) and much of our building stock is reflective of the architecture and building techniques common in the early 20th Century.

Prior to WWII, the world was far more formal, and residential properties were built to reflect that formality. So the multi-family properties constructed during the early 1900’s will offer spaces that are less open, but with incredible levels of trim and finish, and with grander lobbies

• The Tuckahoe
• The Prestwould
• One Monument
• Ginter Place

Quirky / Industrial / Warehouse

In the early 2000’s, the conversion of Richmond’s industrial and office districts began. No longer were the manufacturing and storage uses required, and the development community arrived and began to remake Richmond from blighted and underutilized, to revitalized with apartments, mixed-use, and condominium properties.

Numerous warehouse properties, along with several office properties, and even a few churches, were renovated into condominiums.

When you renovate a property to a new use, especailly historic properties, you invariably have to work around some challenges. And these challenges can often times become a quirky element that becomes a signature feature of the property.

Industrial

• The Emrick Flats – A former car dealership in Jackson Ward
• Warehouse 201 – A 5 story warehouse in Manchester
• Nolde Bakery – An old bakery in Church Hill
• Cary Mews (East Building) – A former mill in the Fan District

Warehouse

• The Reserve Phase I (2501 E Franklin) – A brick and beam warehouse on 25th Street
• Cedar Works (Rocketts Landing) – A massive brick and beam warehouse in Richmond’s East End
• Old Manchester Lofts – Robin Miller’s first large scale condo project in Manchester
• Marshall Street Bakery – The former Mother Herbert’s Bakery in Jackson Ward
• The Decatur – 4 unique luxury flats in Manchester

Cool, but a little Quirky

• The Sydney – A former church in the middle of the Fan District
• The Warsaw – Formerly the ‘Little Sisters of the Poor’ in the Fan District
• The Belfry – A former church in (you guessed it) Church Hill
• The Mule Barn – Sits in the alleyway near the old GRTC bus depot
• Mulberry Place – Former shelter for women in the 1920’s in the western Fan District
• St Patricks – A former schoolhouse in Church Hill
• The Presidential – Formerly the Dooley Madison property in Monroe Ward

New Traditional Luxury

When you combine a traditional Richmond location with a high finish level and today’s residential living style, you will find a small subset of the condo market.

The following condos are extremely luxurious, newly/newer built, and contain floor plans that are consistent with today’s living preferences.

• Monument Square – Infill near Willow Lawn
• The Tibor – Infill near Libbie Grove corridor
• Grayson Hill – New construction project in the Near West End

Cool Vibe and Larger Scale

For a brief period of time in the Post WWII era, Richmond had two properties built whose scale somehow feels a bit out of place.

Situated in what was considered the suburbs at the time, their scale was considerably larger than the surrounding architecture and design was neither traditional nor formal. They have always felt a bit out of place, but over time, have become increasingly popular with a larger percentage of the market.

Due to their fantastic location, relatively benign price points, and authentic connection to their respect eras, they have experienced a bit of a rebirth and their units tend to get absorbed quickly.

• 5100 Monument – 1950’s era tower adjacent to Willow Lawn
• Hathaway Towers – 1950’s era tower in Stratford Hills area

Contemporary

Not all of Richmond’s condos are traditional or industrial, several are truly contemporary in nature.

You will also find that several of the historic renovations used contemporary / modern finishes to create a interesting blend of the old and the new within the same property.

Furthermore, several units within condos were renovated using far more contemporary finishes to reflect the owner’s wishes.

• The Reserve Phase II (9 N 25th) – Contemporary mid rise in Church Hill
• The Cary Mews West Building – Townhome styled condos in Fan District
• Gotham – Converted office in Central Business District
• 210 Rock (Rocketts Landing) –Contemporary mid rise in East End
• Unit 1501 in Vistas on the James – Condo tower in Shockoe Slip
• The Chapman Rodriguez Loft at The Decatur – Luxury flats in Manchester

Summary

There are probably a few I have left out that deserve mention as great options but don’t really fit a category above (the Overlook comes to mind as a suburban townhouse-style condo community in Oregon Hill). And there a lot of great converted tenement apartment buildings from 1920’s and 1930’s throughout the Fan and Museum Districts that were renovated in the early 2000’s.

At the end of the day, the Richmond condo market offers tremendous diversity in design, if not at the same scale as some of the larger markets.

Note that purchasing a condominium is a different process than a single family home and using an agent to guide you through the differences is critical. The association plays a major role in the financial health of a condo and having an agent who understands the reputation and history of each condo means protecting your investment.

Having represented many of the condos on this list, we know the market and would love to help you learn the market, too.

Leverage our considerable experience in Richmond’s condo market.