The Commonwealth Club

The Commonwealth Club

The Commonwealth Club is a private gentlemen's club in Richmond, Virginia in the United States. The building was completed in 1891 and still serves as a clubhouse. It is located at the address 401 West Franklin Street and is listed as a contributing property of the Commonwealth Club Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. The Commonwealth Club is regarded as one of the vorzeigbarsten examples of the architecture in Richmond and was a physical symbol of the New South movement of the city at the end of the 19th century.

Architecture

After an unsuccessful attempt to buy plans from local businesses, the Executive Board of the Commonwealth Club of Richmond looked outside to look for a style that should be incorporated into increasingly recognized as independent American architecture. The proposed building plot also was high above the street level. The Board preferred an elegant style, which should also reflect the character of the southern city of Richmond. From a group of four companies finally the New York architectural firm Carrère and Hastings was commissioned to build.

The Commonwealth Club stands out clearly from the other buildings of the city. The building is essentially characterized by its deep red bricks, ornaments made ​​of sandstone and terracotta-colored cartridges. The architecture contains elements of both the Neo-Romanesque and neo-renaissance, making it to a traditional roots and on the other hand the ability of residents of Richmond reflects, to afford an architectural style at the national level.