Bon Air is a Richmond neighborhood that was originally founded as a recreational community for the people of the city. In the days of heavy tobacco processing, coal mining, Iron work, and other pollution-prone industries that employed Richmond's citizenry, the people would often escape to the "west" on weekends and holidays to breathe cleaner air. Thus the name Bon Air which of course means "good air."

Later, the Bon Air area became an upscale residential neighborhood with a number of important churches, but several landmarks remain as a reminder of the once resort nature of this section of Richmond.