English Village is an early twentieth-centuzy Tudor styled multi-family residence located in the 3400 block of Grove Avenue, a fashionable tree-lined streetcar suburb of Richmond, Virginia. Designed by Bascom J. Rowlett, a Richmond architect, it is one of the first cooperatives in the city and is an outstanding example of a 1920s planned community. Rowlett deslgned the low Tudor styled U-shaped buildings around a central courtyard set back from the street, an innovative plan at that time for Richmond.
The seventeen attached dwellings were designed for economy and for efficiency. The Village was totally landscaped and included a community playground and garages for each indivi- dual dwelling. Building materials were selected for permanence and ease of maintenance. A centralized heating and hot water system located in a "modern" boiler room served each individual unit.
An early rendering by the architect shows the Village as it originally looked; the effect was picturesque and resembled the brick and half-timbered Tudor cottages of an English village. Basically unaltered except for some changes in the landscaping, English Village is in excellent condition and has maintained its architectural integrity over the years.