Model Tobacco Building, aka Model Tobacco Apartments, is a sleek red brick Art Deco factory built by the United States Tobacco Company in 1940. The long sides, parallel to Richmond Highway (formerly Jefferson Davis Highway) feature six tiers of windows set in grey brick ribbons. At each end, “MODEL TOBACCO” is spelled out in nine-foot-tall aluminum letters, atop six-story white limestone piers.
The factory shut down in 1985, and the site had been dormant until 2021. Developer C.A. Harrison Companies converted the site to 203 rental apartments (due to open in 2022).
- Name: Model Tobacco Building, Model Tobacco Apartments
- Location: 1100 Richmond Highway
- Year Completed: 1940
- Architect: Schmidt, Garden and Erikson
- Style: Art Deco
- Wikipedia: Model Tobacco Building
- Virginia Department of Historic Resources: Model Tobacco Company
- National Register of Historic Places: Registration Form
- Google Map
Gallery: Hover over photos for captions; click to view images in lightbox
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Model Tobacco Building, an Art Deco factory built in 1940, has been converted to apartments.
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Model Tobacco Building, an Art Deco factory built in 1940, has been converted to apartments.
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Model Tobacco Building, an Art Deco factory built in 1940, has been converted to apartments.
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Model Tobacco Building, an Art Deco factory built in 1940, has been converted to apartments.
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Model Tobacco Building, an Art Deco factory built in 1940, has been converted to apartments.
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Model Tobacco Building, an Art Deco factory built in 1940, has been converted to apartments.
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Model Tobacco Building, an Art Deco factory built in 1940, has been converted to apartments.
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Model Tobacco Building, an Art Deco factory built in 1940, has been converted to apartments.
All images copyright © Kenneth Grant / photos taken October 2019 with Canon 5D Mark iv
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