Part 2: Richmond Coliseum under construction - 1970

Here's another great shot of the Richmond Coliseum under construction, the first post is here. You can see I-64 connecting to I-95 in the background, to give you an idea of the angle. I think all of the buildings you can see in this picture that are within a few blocks of the coliseum are now gone.

Richmond Coliseum under construction - 1970

There's been a lot of talk recently about replacing Richmond's 42 year old coliseum. So let's take a trip back to 1970 to look at the construction of what was then a state of the art arena.

Leigh Street Armory - 1975

Happy New Year everyone! With over 100,000 page views in a little over a year, it's been a fun ride. And lots more is on the way. Thanks to everyone for stopping by, commenting, reposting, sharing, etc. And thanks to great local blogs for sharing my posts, like Hills & Heights, Fan of the Fan, Greater Jackson Ward News, West of the Boulevard, Church Hill People's News, and probably more that I'm forgetting.

For the first post of 2012, a little good news. A few days ago it was reported that the Leigh Street Armory would receive a $600,000 grant from the state for renovations. Today I've got a shot of it from 1975, not long before it was abandoned and fell into decay. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see what this landmark building looks like today (but not for long).

The armory in 1975:

The armory in 2011:

Top photo courtesy of VCU Libraries

Steel Mill - 7th & Marshall St. parking deck - 1970

41 years ago yesterday Bruce Springsteen played with his band Steel Mill on the top of the parking deck at 7th and Marshall Streets in downtown Richmond. Marlo Mays and The Stingers & Mercy Flight opened the show. Brucebase has a detailed setlist and description of the show.

Here's some crowd audio for the second song in their set that night: Come On

Sixth Street Market - 1908

Great shot today of Richmond's old Sixth Street Market. I believe this picture was taken near the intersection of Sixth and Marshall/Sixth and Clay. Essentially where the Richmond Coliseum sits now. This website has some great research from a student at Boston College that gives  insight into the market and it's location:

"Second Market Station House was located on 6th and Marshall Streets in Richmond, VA.  It opened around 1817 and was sometimes referred to as the New Market. It eventually became the 6th Street Market. During the 19th century there was a jail located in the market facility. A brick building between Marshall and Clay Streets held butchers, and a shed structure between Clay and Leigh held vegetable sellers. In the main brick buildings at both First and Second Markets, the City had police stations on the upper floor with a lock-up."

Photo courtesy of The Library of Congress

Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike construction - August 1957

Here's an amazing shot of the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike (Interstate 95) being built in 1957, taken from what looks to be the edge of the former Navy Hill neighborhood, which unfortunately was mostly demolished to make way for the turnpike in the late 50s, and I-64 in the mid 60s. In the distance you can see Main Street Station, the construction of the I-95 James River Bridge, as well as the concrete walls that will eventually form the highway as it curves around downtown Richmond.

Photo courtesy of VCU Libraries

W. Jackson Street, Jackson Ward - 1920s

The 100 block of West Jackson Street in Jackson Ward from what looks to be the 1920s, judging by the car on the right. I drive past these three houses a lot, and have always loved the larger house on the right. The fact that all of the houses in this photo survived the construction of I-95 less than one block away is a miracle. Hopefully someone will fix these up before they end up one big empty lot, like a lot of other sections of Jackson Ward these days.

Here's (sort of) what these three houses look like today. This shot is a few years old, and unfortunately the middle house has had a fire and all three houses look much worse:

Photo courtesy of The Library of Congress

Double house on College Street in downtown Richmond - Early 1900s

This house at 311-313 College Street in downtown Richmond appears to have occupied the block where VCU's Massey Cancer Center now resides, across from the Egyptian building.

The small sign in front of the house says "Funeral Parking," possibly from the Monumental Church which was located around the corner?

Photo courtesy of The Library of Congress