1. portfolio
Jenna Evers
Virginia Commonwealth
University
URSP691- Digital Graphic Design
and Desktop Publishing
December 2012
People in Places
Compass Plaza
Monroe Park
Brown’s Island
Street
Strawberry St.
Block
Rocketts Landing
Neighborhood
The Fan District

2. COMPASS PLAZA
PEOPLE IN PLACES

4. MONROE PARK

8. BROWN’S ISLAND

12. STREET

13. STRAWBERRY STREET AT NIGHT

14. BLOCK
ROCKETTS LANDING

18. The Fan District
by Jenna Evers

19. KEVIN LYNCH’S
VISUAL MAPPING

20. There are several observations that can be made from the Figure Ground of this
neighborhood. There are two edges in this neighborhood. In the north section, the buildings
are much larger and dispersed in comparison to the rest of the neighborhood. The building
scale suggests that these buildings are for a public use in comparison to the smaller building
types below that are residential. These buildings are mostly commercial, such as Lowe’s, the
Sauer’s factory and an old Sear’s building. In the southern section of the map, there is a strip of
white space in the bottom right corner; this is the Downtown Expressway. Cary St. is one block
north of this expressway. The residential area of Cary St. has smaller building types. This area
of the neighborhood is also more dispersed. The continuity of the rest of the neighborhood
breaks apart which is why I argue that Cary St. is a visual edge.
Moving slightly south, there are two large circles and two triangles below the circles.
These areas have created spaces that serve as neighborhood nodes. The two circles are traffic
circles with monuments in the center. On the left is Robert E. Lee monument and on the right
is the J.E.B. Stuart monument. The two triangle spaces are neighborhood parks.
The streets that run north/south are thinner compared to those running east/west.
The buildings are much more compact on streets running east/west, suggesting that the land
values on these streets is much higher because these streets are more desirable to live on. Those
residences running along Monument Ave. are larger in scale which matches the grandness of
these houses in person.
Sauer’s Spice Factory

21. ALLEN ST.
Allen St. district runs two blocks north and one
block south of the Robert E. Lee monument.
It is distinguished by a large median that runs
these three blocks. The building types are also
distinct. They are larger, ornate, brick buildings.
The building in the bottom left and opposite
page is the Shenandoah Building. It is currently
used as an assisted living facility.
TOP: LOOKING SOUTH ON ALLEN ST.
LEFT AND OPPOSITE PAGE: THE SHENANDOAH BUILDING
RIGHT: ORCHARD HOUSE SCHOOL

23. GRACE ST.
Grace St. sits between Broad St. and Monument Avenue. It
has grand houses. It looks similar to the Fan Districut only the
houses are slightly larger and they are not as large as those on
Monument Ave. By looking at the Figure Ground map on the left
you can see this street is quite compact, suggesting that this
street is of high value. Perhaps because of its proximity to two of
the major streets in Richmond, Broad St. and Monument Ave.
TOP: GRACE STREET GATE
COLUMN
LEFT: EXAMPLE OF
ARCHITECTURE ON GRACE ST.
RIGHT: 1800 W. GRACE ST.
OPPOSITE PAGE: WOMEN
WALKING DOWN GRACE ST.
HEADING EAST

25. MONUMENT AVE.
Monument Avenue is a premier example of the Grand American Avenue
city planning style. A tree-lined grassy mall divides the east and west-
bound sides of the street and is punctuated by statues memorializing
heroes of Richmond. The district contains two important statues: Robert
E. Lee and J.E.B. Stuart monuments. Their location is apparent in
the figure ground on the left where there are two circles that suggest
significance for these areas. The avenue is lined with grand houses. One
observation from the figure ground is that the houses extend further back
than other houses in the neighborhood.
TOP: MONUMENT AVENUE LOOKING
EAST
RIGHT: MONUMENT AVE. HOUSES
OPPOSITE PAGE: WOMAN WITH HER
DOG SIT ON THE ROBERT E. LEE
STATUE

27. THE FAN
The Fan District is distinguished by its
compact form, tree-lined mostly residential
streets, interspersed with restaurants,
churches, parks, and schools. It is the heart
of this neighborhood and some would say the
heart of Richmond. The two triangles in the
figure ground on the right are neighborhood
parks. The figure gound also shows the
areas between the back of the houses have
space. These are alleys that run behind the
residences.
LEFT: APARTMENT
BUILDING IN THE FAN
RIGHT: PEOPLE
WALKING IN FRONT OF
MEADOW PARK
OPPOSITE: TYPICAL
FAN STREET

29. 1 2 3
4
5 6
7
8
9 10
11
12
1-Lee’s Chicken, 2200 W. Broad St.
2-Pleasant’s Hardware, 2024 W. Broad
St.
3-Sauer Company, 2000 W. Broad St.
4-Shenandoah Building, 501 N. Allen
Ave.
5-Robert E. Lee Monument,
Monument Ave at Allen Ave.
6-J.E.B. Stuart Monument, Stuart
Circle
7-Garnett’s Café, 2001 Park Ave.
8-Meadow Park, Stuart and Park Ave.
at Meadow St.
9-Kuba Kuba, 1601 Park Ave.
10-Lombardy Park, Hanover and Park
Ave. at Lombardy
11-Joe’s Inn, 205 N. Shields Ave.
12-Main Art Supply, 1537 W. Main St.
OPPOSITE PAGE: APPROACHING VIEW OF ROBERT E. LEE MONUMENT DRIVING EAST ON
MONUMENT AVENUE
SAUER’S SPICE COMPANY NEON SIGN ON BROAD ST.