Understanding Richmond Fan Real Estate

Understanding real estate in the Richmond Fan District means understanding the physical design of the Fan and the period during which it was designed.

The Fan District in Richmond is located on the western edge of VCU’s Monroe Park campus. It is a neighborhood designed and built in the early 20th century and largely completed in the late 1930s. The fact that the neighborhood was built before the advent of the automobile is one of the most enduring design features and truly sets the Fan District apart from many other neighborhoods in Richmond, Virginia.

Fan District real estate combines residential and commercial uses in close proximity to each other. The city block/grid layout allowed for single-family and multi-family residential structures along much of the main and side streets with interspersed commercial uses, especially along various nodes where many restaurants and pubs have been concentrated. Strawberry Street, Meadow Street, Lombardy Street, and Robinson Street have the highest density of commercial uses in the District despite their relatively short lengths. Despite Main Street and Cary Street (since they were much more industrial or retail-heavy in their original form), restaurants, markets, and other retail services are found primarily along the Strawberry/Robinson/Meadow/Lombardy corridors .

Fan’s main residential avenues: Monument Avenue, Grace Street, Park Avenue, Stuart Avenue, Grove Avenue, Hanover Avenue, and Floyd Avenue all begin east of Lombardy and move west to the Boulevard, which forms the western border. These main avenues, plus short stretches of West and Kensington Avenues, provide the majority of residential housing in Fan, each with its own style and personality. While the side streets in the Fan District can offer some spectacular homes, the layout of lots in Fan generally differs from lots along main avenues, meaning they are usually either wider or deeper (or both) than those found along the side streets. The houses along the side streets are also affected many times by the alleys that run parallel to the main avenues.

Many times, long-time Fan residents will differentiate between the Upper and Lower Fan. The lower fan is considered to be the area to the east of Lombardy and the upper fan begins to the west of Lombardy. The eastern sections are usually older and in many cases a bit more unique. The density in the eastern sections is also slightly higher and the area is more affected by VCU’s influence.

Overall, Fan District real estate is some of the most sought after housing in the Richmond metro. The District’s walkability and timeless architecture create a unique feel within the Richmond market and go a long way towards protecting the investment made by its owners.