Downtown – South Boston, Virginia
The third and final stop for the day as I made my way to Richmond for the night was in South Boston.
Arriving just before sunset, I only had time to quick glimpse of the town in full light. Handsome two-story brick buildings like these created a solid continuous building wall and a shoppable few blocks downtown.
An effort to craft a definable civic identity was on display with these custom benches with laser cut backs that displayed the South Boston logo. What was gained in marketing one wonders if it was lost in comfort with the stiff upright and not much contour for the back as more traditional metal benches often have.
South Boston Town Hall in Virginia is a two-story brick civic building constructed circa 1910 in the Neoclassical style. Located at 420 Main Street, its most defining architectural features include a rounded corner entrance framed by Doric columns and a tall, circular arcaded brick belfry. A U-shaped structure best identified by its sweeping curved corner and the unique, circular arcade situated just above the entrance. The property previously served as a grocery store and a local firehouse. Its distinct tower originally housed a mechanical siren for the fire department.
This building that houses N. Main Furniture has some surprisingly bold modern lines. Casement windows on the second floor are divided by narrow piers. Above these string course details run the length of the building emphasizing the horizontality. And on the ground floor the rectangular windows for each storefront give ample space for display. What is absent is the architectural detailing found in many other nearby buildings.
Sobo’s Main Theater has some Art Deco stylings with channelized spandrel panels, and curved parapet. Next door the adjacent building is of the same materials but with less detailing. An insensitive remuddling added a half-gambrel awning over the ground floor storefront. Window display space was maximized but the ground floor feels disembodied from those above.
A ghost sign said “New Brick Warehouse” while a banner closer to the sidewalk proclaimed “Now Leasing.” Adaptive reuse of this former warehouse building occurred to make it more inviting for newer functions. Apparently the brick market has been eclipsed by other more modern materials in South Boston.
The rear of the complex shows that the renovation efforts had not yet caught up with these massive factory-style casement steel frame windows. Were they to be reglazed and opened up again, the evening sunlight into the building each day might be nothing short of magical.
This dignified older building, despite the decrepit state of the storefront, showed potential if some layers could be peeled away, windows restored, and the character brought back.
Pulling against this particular building is the unexceptional block it is located on with long expanses scarcely with a single window.
Across the street on the east side is the evening shadow cast by the earlier building with the pointed parapet. Here the upper floor architectural details are intact but the ground floor has been insensitively treated.
At one time a building like this with as many as six distinct storefronts was a workhorse for the downtown – creating opportunities for multiple businesses to operate under a single roof. Remodeling of the storefronts here too with more modern materials took away from the character of this building.
Looking down the block there is another expanse of building wall on ground floor with now windows or articulation. This limits the readability and flow of the block from one business and building to another, by creating a gap in the pedestrian experience.
While this three-story building with handsome cornice and parapet rising above has great potential, the carefully boarded over arched windows on the third floor suggest that now was not quite the right time for the rediscovery and finding of a new use for an old building.
Industrial and warehouse buildings like this one are characteristically set apart from the formal Main Street. They are often separate by large open spaces and parking lots. The distinctive reinforced concrete and steel framing on the side creates a grid of rectangles.
This four story brick building still has its cornice and parapet, and historic windows intact on the upper floors. At one point this probably served as offices, hotel, or even residence. Evening light on the facade fills the rooms within.
One last photo captures the elegance of the buildings and public spaces, but also the sense of attrition and lost. At one time this corner likely had a two or three story building. Now in its apparent absence a wood staircase helps people descend the slope to the parking lot below. Often it is better to have buildings lining the street rather than a parking lot with limited accessibility. Just as people came together to build up South Boston many years ago, the potential is always there to care for the buildings that remain, while filling some of the gaps created by erasure of buildings and the active city life that they support.