West Franklin Street Historic District

West Franklin Street in Richmond, between Monroe Park and Ryland Street, forms a three-block residential district on the northern edge of the Fan District. Its tree-lined blocks hold detached townhouses, townhouse rows, larger houses and a few restrained apartment buildings, mostly from the 1890s through the early twentieth century. Styles range from Second Empire and Romanesque Revival to Georgian Revival, Italianate and Moorish-inspired design, yet similar scale and materials give the street an underlying harmony. The Ritter-Hickock House of about 1855 is the sole survivor of the earlier suburban community. The district gained importance as the home of prosperous businessmen, notably Lewis Ginter, whose house became a social center of the 1890s. Millhiser House, built in 1896, keeps its hand-carved woodwork. The Beth Ahabah Synagogue of 1904 anchors the western end. Many buildings now serve Virginia Commonwealth University, while others remain apartments, offices and homes.