Bottomley homes give character to Richmond

SLIDESHOW: Grand Richmond homes

The grandeur of Richmond wouldn't be as grand without William Lawrence Bottomley.

The New York architect left an indelible legacy in the city's affluent neighborhoods, leaving many to recognize his multi-million-dollar homes simply by saying "that's a Bottomley."

Bottomley-designed homes can be found along Monument Avenue, between the statues of Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. Others are tucked away in Windsor Farms and the West End to make up most of his 21 commissions in Virginia's capital.

"He shaped the look of these communities, but I think more importantly, he raised the standard of architecture. His appeal here has never waned," said Susan Hume Frazer, author of the book "The Architecture of William Lawrence Bottomley."

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Born in 1882 in New York, N.Y., Bottomley earned a degree in architecture from Columbia before studying abroad at the American Academy in Rome and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

He returned to America in 1909 to begin his practice. The Historic Richmond Foundation is recognizing the renowned architect's centennial with a yearlong celebration dubbed "The Year of Bottomley."

It wasn't until 1915, however, that Bottomley made his debut in Richmond, when he was commissioned to design a home for Col. Jennings C. Wise and his wife, Lucy, on River Road in the West End. In 1996, that house was donated to the University of Richmond, moved across the street and is now the Jepson Alumni Center.

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Bottomley-designed homes dot the landscape along Monument Avenue, more frequent than the statues the street is known for. He's responsible for eight buildings along an 11-block stretch of Monument, including four clustered in the 2300 block.

Most are in the Colonial Revival genre he was known for, drawing inspiration from Colonial architecture and James River plantation homes that he "brought into contemporary times," said Richard Guy Wilson, Commonwealth Professor of Architectural History at the University of Virginia.

Bottomley stepped away from his usual design, though, with a Mediterranean-style home in the 2300 block that was built in 1923.

Bruce Gray lives in a Bottomley house in the 2700 block of Monument. Few changes have been made to the 5,921-square foot home since it was built in 1928. Some features have been modernized, but sconces and a living-room mirror original to the house remain. The intricate detail in molding along the ceilings is untouched, as is the detailed wood paneling in the library.

After being built more than 80 years ago, the house has adapted well to modern living, Gray said.

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Out in the West End where land was more spacious, so, too, are the houses Bottomley designed.

Milburne, a 9,385-square foot, Depression-era home in Windsor Farms overlooking the James River, has east and west wings, with extra bedrooms over the garage on the west wing and a private office in the east wing.

Built in 1934, visitors to the home are greeted by an open front hall with a front closet blending into the wall and circular staircase leading to the second floor.

The large front hall in Milburne differs from many other Bottomley homes, where small halls with lavatories on either side were frequent, said Hobie Claiborne, whose father, Herbert A. Claiborne built all of Bottomley's homes in Richmond.

Bottomley "didn't think much about front halls," he said.

As he was designing Milburne for Walter S. Robertson and his wife, though, they requested a larger front hall and to move the bathrooms, Claiborne said.

One of those bathrooms was moved outside, nestled in a corner of the porch connecting the east wing to the main house.

Little has changed in the house that has remained in the extended family since. Built for the Robertsons, the house is now owned by Billy and Janie Armfield. Janie Armfield is Hobie Claiborne's niece. Claiborne married Kitty Robertson, the daughter of the original homeowners.

Bottomley found a kindred spirit in Richmond builder Herbert A. Claiborne of the firm Claiborne and Taylor, which is now Taylor and Parrish.

"There was mutual admiration. My father was an intense student of Colonial architectural design," said Hobie Claiborne, who grew up with Bottomley as a frequent visitor in his parents home.

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For Bottomley, the devil really was in the details, down to hand-picking the individual bricks used on the fronts of the homes.

Calder Loth, the senior architectural historian with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, said Bottomley worked closely with his clients to design their homes to specific requirements.

"He put extra effort to detail the houses," Loth said.

There was also an emphasis on the interior design of the homes. On the architectural plans for Gray's Monument Avenue home, the exact spot and size for framed pictures and other wall adornments were drawn in specific locations in the rooms.

Throughout a career spanning six decades, Bottomley was commissioned for 186 projects in 18 states. Half of his buildings are in his native New York, including the River House apartment building on East 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan. Virginia is second with 51.

Eleven buildings commissioned by Bottomley are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Eight of those are in Virginia, including Redesdale on River Road in the West End.

But each of the buildings he worked on, one thing continually stands out - the refinement, said Frazer.

"While his houses and buildings may not be the showiest or the largest in a given location - typically they're not - to the discerning eye and to the layperson, there is something about their exterior aesthetic that compels you to linger on the details," she said.

Contact Jeremy Slayton at (804) 649-6861 or .