"We just finished rebuilding a porch on Broad and 21st. The porch was long since gone, so for the reconstruction, we found a picture from 1916 at the Virginia Historical Society that proved there was a Victorian-ornate porch. The house is 2100 E Broad, so the picture, taken from the top of the Hill, couldn't tell us much more than the fact that there was a porch, it had corbels and a curved roof. Based on that, we built the porch (using materials salvaged from a porch ripped off and thrown in a dumpster, of course).
The second picture is obviously more recent- it's got motorized vehicles and electrical lines. No date on the back, though.
I've attached a photo taken from roughly the same angle (though not that far up the block) of what the block looked like while we were building that porch a month back. The streetscape is changing dramatically on this block. Two brand new buildings at 2102-2104 E Broad. It was an empty lot for decades.
The church spire has been gone since a long-ago hurricane (in the 30s, or so I've heard)."
First up we have Broad Street at 21st from 1916. This is looking down Broad St from Church Hill, towards downtown Richmond. It's amazing to see this stretch with so many houses and trees:
Next up is roughly the same angle, probably from sometime in the 1920s:
And lastly, the house at 2100 East Broad Street being worked on by Restoration Builders of VA a few months ago:
Thanks once again to Syd for the great pictures and story!
The future is so ugly.
ReplyDeleteThat's silly. The past was dirtier, smellier, grimier, and vastly less hygienic. Virtually everything you see on the street these days is cleaner and safer than it was back in the day. I think what you mean instead is "The past was idyllic." But it really wasn't even that, either.
DeleteThe porch we built is now complete, and it make this ugly block look better. I wish that corner wood-frame building was still there (it has now been replaced by Duke's Auto Service).
ReplyDeleteAcross the street is a brand new building, but I remember the junk yard that used to be there in the 1990s, recently posted on CHPN.net. http://chpn.net/news/2012/05/02/east-broad-street-1991_22331/
I agree with anonymous. The future is rather ugly, but I bet if we took a picture in black and white it might look a little more romantic. The old pictures do show how much pollution has clouded the air.
We need to replant some trees!
ReplyDeleteI just learned something about why that church doesn't have its spire. Cool.
ReplyDeleteI prefer the before pictures myelf.
ReplyDeleteThe tree that was in the front yard of 2100 E. Broad was BEAUTIFUL. Now it's just ugly.
ReplyDeleteso that's what that steeple looked like...no wonder it's gone...it was huge
ReplyDelete