Architecture Richmond looks at one of the oldest Fan homes

In their own words, “ArchitectureRichmond documents and examines the buildings, spaces, and urban textures of Richmond, both celebrated and undiscovered. It also offers a critical look at the community’s ongoing development and provides an open discussion of broad design issues.”

This week they examine 1003 Grove Avenue built in 1851.

The house is one of the few in the Fan District to have been built before the Civil War. The original owner was Benjamin W. Totty, a grocer who built two connected homes on the plot in 1851. InRichmond’s Fan District (1996), local historian Drew Carneal suggests that “it seems probable that the house standing at 1003 Grove Avenue, although greatly altered, is the westernmost Totty tenement, the twin having been demolished when the present corner town house was constructed.” (1) Ms. Susan Kang, a recent resident, suggested that the house may have originated from portions of both tenements. With the original plans lost,  the only certainty is that the current appearance is drastically different from its antebellum form.

The full article at the link above has more photos and much more history.