Virginia General Assembly Building — Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA)

The new Virginia General Assembly Building in Richmond beautifully and seamlessly meets the contemporary requirements of the Commonwealth’s legislative body while complementing the enduring character of the historic Capitol Square district within which it resides.

The LEED Gold–certified building, designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA), is the first purpose-built home in the history of the Virginia General Assembly—America’s oldest continuously meeting governmental body, established in 1619.

From the 1970s onward, the General Assembly was housed on this site in an assemblage of office buildings originally constructed for non-legislative uses,  some dating back more than 60 years, including the landmark 1912 Life Insurance Company of Virginia headquarters designed by the New York firm Clinton & Russell. 

Years of retrofitting and combining these structures resulted in a patchwork of spaces marked by undersized, dimly lit offices, low ceilings, inadequate mechanical systems and poorly proportioned hearing rooms with columns that obstructed sightlines.

When it came time to create a purpose-built structure for the legislature, RAMSA was selected to design the 14-story, 415,000-square-foot building that occupies this full block at the northwest corner of Capitol Square facing Thomas Jefferson’s and Charles-Louis Clérisseau’s 1785 Virginia State Capitol to the south and Broad Street, Richmond’s primary east-west thoroughfare, to the north.

“As a highly public building, it demanded a thoughtful and sensitive approach—an architecture that conveys an appropriate elegance and dignity while still making visitors feel at ease,” says RAMSA Partner Preston J. Gumberich, AIA. “Achieving that balance while remaining within budget, was a central requirement.”

RAMSA’s design for the Virginia General Assembly Building, which is connected to the Capitol Visitor Center and a new parking deck across 9th Street via underground tunnels, carefully weaves new construction with historic preservation. 

The plan retains the two remaining facades of the 1912 Life Insurance Company of Virginia headquarters, including its elaborately detailed Indiana limestone cladding, Mount Airy granite water-table and ornate copper window surrounds and spandrels. 

These preserved elevations are integrated into the new composition, maintaining the historic streetscape and architectural continuity, with one of the new building’s three main entrances located within the restored façade.

The building’s four-story podium establishes a scale and character responsive to the surrounding civic context, including the Capitol, Old City Hall, the former Patrick Henry Building and the historic Supreme Court of Virginia. 

“These neighboring landmarks served as key reference points, with the podium’s height and expression reinforcing the shared cornice line that defines Capitol Square,” Gumberich says.

Working within budget constraints, the design team employed a precast concrete panel system  detailed to emulate limestone in color, texture and articulation. 

Subtle façade modulation and expressed joints lend depth and authenticity, allowing the building to read as cohesive and contextually sensitive. 

“This durable precast system allowed for a streamlined exterior envelope installation as well as significant freedom of design in detailing architectural elements such as cornices and entablatures, fluted pilasters, deep-set windows and ornamental spandrel panels – all of which intentionally recall key elements of the restored 1912 limestone facades of the Life Insurance Company of Virginia,” Gumberich says.

Inside, the building—conceived as “the People’s Building”—is organized to support transparency and public engagement in the legislative process, with podium levels centered on a double-height elliptical lobby and incorporating committee and subcommittee rooms equipped with advanced audiovisual technology and voting systems, generous pre-function spaces, a cafeteria with several dining areas and a coffee bar, a press suite, a constituents’ business center, a multipurpose event space, and facilities for the House and Senate page programs. 

A public waiting room on the second floor opens to a dramatic triple-height space behind the restored façades, offering views south to Capitol Square and the Capitol, while a naturally lit grand public stair elegantly connects the podium levels.

The floors of the 10-story tower rising from the podium are dedicated to legislative functions, housing office suites for members and staff alongside subcommittee rooms and support spaces, while the top three levels are reserved for the Senate Finance and House Appropriations committees and Leadership suites. 

Developed in close collaboration with legislators and long-serving staff, the building balances tradition, function and civic accessibility.

 “We partnered closely with the Senate and House clerks and key legislators, drawing on their decades of invaluable experience to guide our design efforts and ensure every detail was thoughtfully executed,” says Gumberich. “Together, all these elements create a cohesive, forward-looking civic environment that supports both the daily work of governance and meaningful, enduring public engagement for generations to come.” TB