In the late 70s the widening of Belvidere Street took a fairly large chunk out of Monroe Park, and resulted in the demolition of the 1923 signal station building. From the 2008 Monroe Park Master Plan:
"In 1923, the City opted to place a signal station for fire and police alarms in
the northeast corner of the park along Belvidere Street. The placement of
the building in the center of a plat did not disrupt the plan for the park and
followed the tradition set by the park house in 1890. The classical revival
building with its stone façade and large windows was one of a
number of elegant classical revival utilitarian buildings constructed by the
City in the 1920s, including the hydroelectric plant and pumping stations in
Byrd Park. The building, which faced Belvidere Street, was a commanding
architectural presence."
The black dotted line in the photos below show the chunk of Monroe Park that was lost in the late 70s to Belvidere Street. I believe the building in the distance in the second photo was lost as well. The building behind it was torn down in the 90s for the VCU Engineering building. That building will be the subject of a future post, if I ever get around to scanning my old negatives. Click the photos below for the high resolution images.
Looking Southwest across the Belvidere/Franklin intersection towards the Landmark Theater (the signal station is the building on the left):
Looking South down Belvidere Street:
Photos courtesy of VCU Libraries
