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Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Wards TV (Circuit City) - 1950s

Here's a picture from the 1950s of the original Wards TV store at 705 West Broad Street. Love that giant neon sign! Wards TV opened this first store in 1949, and later became Circuit City. I believe this building stood where VCU's Technology Administration Building now sits, about a block from the intersection of Belvidere and Broad.

Tonight at the Byrd Theater is the Richmond premiere of the new documentary "A Tale of Two Cities: The Circuit City Story." Check out circuitcitystory.com for details, a lot of great info on the history of Circuit City, and some clips from the film.

4 comments:

  1. I thought Ward's originally opened at the intersection of Robinson and Park?

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  2. Park & Robinson in the Fan? Seems an odd place for a Ward's, not being on a major thoroughfare. The buildings on 3 of the corners wouldn't work but it could have stood where the church parking lot currently is, I suppose.

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  3. Ward's TV also had a store on Hull Street near the old Venus theatre in old Manchester.
    They also sponsored the appearance in Richmond of Elvis Pressley.

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  4. Apparently the history of Robinson & Park and Circuit City, is that when Samuel S. Wurtzel was one day vacationing in Richmond, he was getting his haircut at a barber on Robinson & Park. There somebody had discussed televisions, which was new, and he drummed out the idea for a store. That was it. Not sure what the barber on Robinson & Park is now... maybe Robinson Inn? Most of the stuff around there is homes?

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