Richfield | The USA: Landscapes and Urban Spaces

Richfield is about the same size as Hurricane, but it has a much more extensive downtown with many landmark buildings. Not all the downtown buildings are occupied by businesses and many of the businesses that survive are not doing very well. However, there is an endearing mixture of attractive old structures, ghost signs, painted adverts and old metal signs overhanging the sidewalks.

Just a block from Main Street is Richfield Library, which celebrated its centenary in 2014. It has many external and internal features redolent of the arts and crafts movement in the UK and/or Frank Lloyd Wright at the start of his career in architecture. Attractive use is made of red brick, glazed tiles, coloured glass, glass light fittings and wood. Some of the latter is carefully carved or turned. The sturdy wooden bookcases look original.

Other interesting buildings include the Presbyterian church, a closed bank, a laundry, an old wooden barn and a substantial structure called Young Block. Richfield Canal runs diagonally through the town. It irrigates the fields and pasture to the east. After we had eaten our evening meal, I crossed the canal three times in an area where conventional housing gives way to a trailer park, small warehouses and industrial premises. Here, large trucks park overnight and people drive along gravel roads kicking up clouds of dust.

Overnight wind and rain had cleared the previous evening’s cloudy conditions, so when we woke, the visibility was outstanding.