Commonwealth Architects

Miller & Rhoads

Richmond, VA
Size: 475,000 sf
Services: Historic Tax CreditsArchitectureHistoric PreservationPlanning
Awards: Urban Land Institute Richmond, Most Innovative Project - 2011 American Institute of Architects, Award of Merit - 2010 Greater Richmond Association for Commercial Real Estate (GRACE), Best Mixed- Use Project - 2010 Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods, Honored for Excellence in Best Commercial Renovation - 2009

Commonwealth Architects provided architectural and engineering services for the conversion of the historic Miller & Rhoads Department Store into an elegant space for dining, shopping and living in downtown Richmond.

Miller & Rhoads originally opened on Broad Street in 1888 and was for years the place to shop for customers from all over the region. With the insurgence of suburban retail, however, the department store closed its doors in 1989.

This comprehensive rehabilitation project transformed the abandoned building into a premier mixed-use development, including residential space, a Hilton Garden Inn Hotel, retail, dining and common areas for public functions. Retail and dining is provided on the first-floor level of the building with widened, landscaped pedestrian walkways and sidewalk cafés provided on the perimeter of the building.

Demolition of the former Sixth Street Marketplace, which ran up 6th Street along the east side of the building crossing Broad, re-established pedestrian flow between the adjacent arts center and convention center. The project is situated within Richmond’s City Center, with streetscape, lighting and utility improvements recently completed in a joint effort between the City of Richmond and the Broad Street Community Development Authority.

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