HISTORY

Richmond is a city of monuments that has become something of a monument itself to America’s New South. The City’s historic buildings and world-class museums nestle next to new structures designed to harmonize with the past even as they define the city’s future. The re-built James River and Kanawha Canal “Canal Walk” allows visitors easy access to the only metropolitan whitewater river in the country. Buildings ranging from the historic Tredegar Iron Works to the modern Federal Reserve to the transportation hub Main Street Station are at the center of the River District, a popular entertainment and dining enclave. Entertainment, dining and nightlife activity continues to grow in the Shockoe Slip and Shockoe Bottom, two areas that had been devastated by the City’s major floods prior to the construction of the floodwall in 1995.

Buildings in the River District date from the 1700’s to 2007, designed by such architects as Thomas Jefferson, John Russell Pope, Minoru Yamasaki, and Robert Stern. It is this fascinating blend of old and new that differentiates the area. The River District also has a healthy blend of tenants, including Fortune 500 company headquarters, the Creative Class (i.e. advertising agencies, architecture firms, etc.), world renowned law firms and of course, state and federal government offices.

The trend of residents and businesses returning to the urban core gains momentum as the River District continues to emerge as the nexus of the entire Richmond region. Currently the River District is seeing more than $600 million of development projects. The Canal Walk has generated new retail and office opportunities along the James River, such as the Brown’s Island project - Riverside on the James, as well as further encouraged the emergence of apartment and condominium units in the River District.