VCU demolition update - Before and After, Part Deux

Here's an update to the third most viewed post on the site, Five buildings VCU will tear down next month. Those five buildings are long gone, as I posted about in an update entitled: VCU demolition update - Before and After.

Here is what the 1000 block of Floyd Av looks like as of March 2013, the soon to be VCU Academic Learning Commons at 1000 Floyd Ave:

Here are the buildings that used to stand on this block: The Baptist Student Union at 1000-1002 Floyd Ave, built in 1905:

Row houses at 102 (built in 1900), 104 (built in 1900) and 106 (built in 1910) North Linden Street:

109 North Harrison Street - Education Annex, built in 1954:

3008 East Broad St - Before and After

Today we take a look at another success story: 3008 East Broad Street in Church Hill. It looked pretty rough in 1979, thankfully, it was saved.

Here's a quick before and after, scroll down for more detailed pics:

Here's a larger version of the 1979 image:

Here's a larger version of the 2012 image from a slightly different angle (the tree out front blocked too much if I used the '79 angle):

1979 photo courtesy of VCU Libraries

Shockoe Bottom - Before and After

Today we take a look at what was the Hampton-McCurdy House at 18th and Main St in Shockoe Bottom.

First up, early 1900s:

Here's how this same corner looks today:

Top photo courtesy of The Library of Congress

2120 East Broad St - Before and After

Today we have a Before and After of 2120 East Broad Street in Church Hill. The building houses condos today, but it has a long history. From the National Register of Historic Places registration form for the St. John's Church Historic District, filed in 1990:

"Bellevue School, constructed in 1874, is an unusual surviving example of an early public school building. Located at the northwest corner of East Broad and North Twenty-Second streets, the one-story brick building with projecting front ell and recessed entrance arcade was originally a two-story structure before a hurricane removed the second story in 1950. The school has a brick water table, recessed brick panels featuring tall segmental-arched sash windows with brick label molds, and a simple brick cornice and parapet--the result of the removal of the second story. A one-story brick service building to the rear dates from 1905. The building served as Bellevue School until a new school was built at the corner of East Grace and Twenty-Sixth streets in 1914. The old school was converted into condominiums in 1978."

First up we have a shot of this building from 1977, looking abandoned. Click the photos below for the high resolution images.

Next up, 1978. The only real difference is that the For Sale sign is gone. I'm guessing this was right before renovations began? Anyone know more about the history of this building since 1978?

Here's the building in 2012, looking better than ever:

Top two photos courtesy of VCU Libraries

Richmond from Libby Hill Park - April 1865

147 years ago. April 1865. Hard to believe that's when this picture was taken.

This should be a familiar shot to Richmonders: Looking West from Libby Hill Park in Church Hill, down Main Street towards downtown. This was taken just at the end of the Civil War, and the burnt district can be seen on the left in the high-rez picture. The state Capitol is on the right in the distance. There's a lot of action going on in the street, although much of it is blurred. A fantastic shot.

Photo courtesy of The Library of Congress

2200 East Broad Street, Church Hill - Before and after

This has to be one of my favorite pictures that I've come across while doing this blog. This is the side of what I guess was a market at 2200 East Broad St in Church hill, circa 1966. Was this a market back then? Because it's a residence now. The full before and after shot is below. First up is a cropped version, centering on the signs and the two men sitting on the brick wall. LOVE this shot.

Next up is the full before and after version. While I like that this building has survived and looks fantastic today, I have to admit I miss the cool signs on the side of the building.

1966 photo courtesy of VCU Libraries

Before and After: 2100 East Broad Street

Today we have another great before and after from Sydney Jordan-Cooley, Lead Carpenter at Restoration Builders of Virginia. I'll let her tell the story:

"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!

Before And After - 2 North 5th Street

Today's Before And After is The Hancock House, built in 1809, and the former home of (among others) a US Attorney General and two Richmond Mayors. It sits on the corner of 5th Street and Main Street.

Below are two different angles of the house, each with a before picture from 1936, and a current picture from 2012. Pretty impressive that this house has survived in downtown Richmond for 203 years!

Here's another angle...note that the tree is the same in both pictures. 75 years later it's still there!

Before photos courtesy of The Library of Congress

Before and After: 14 & 16 North Laurel Street

I figured after a few negative VCU posts it's time for something a little more positive. Today we see 14 and 16 N. Laurel Street (across from Monroe Park) back in 1975 and today. Both houses are still intact today, are used by VCU for offices (School of World Studies and Office of General Counsel), and in much better shape outside than they were 37 years ago.

March 1975:

January 2012:

Top photo courtesy of VCU Libraries

VCU demolition update - Before and After

Wow, I've had a real lack of posts here this month, huh? I've been busy, but I'll try and pick up the pace around here...

Time for some updates on the "progress" of VCU's old buildings. First up, the old Common Groundz coffee shop building at 734-736 West Broad Sreet. This 1889 building is now officially gone. I first wrote about this building here, and followed up with another post here.

Before:

Today:

Next up are the row houses at 102 (built in 1900), 104 (built in 1900) and 106 (built in 1910) North Linden Street. Gone as well. I wrote about them here last summer.

Before:

Today:

Last is the Baptist Student Union at 1000-1002 Floyd Ave, built in 1905. You guessed it, gone. Written about here last Summer as well.

Before:

Today:

I didn't take a picture of the former VCU Education Annex building (1954) at 109 North Harrison Street, but you can see in the background of the photo above where it used to stand (on the left).

For now, the VCU Meeting Center at 101 North Harrison Street is being saved. It was built in 1906, and has a fairly storied past. But will it really be saved? The VCU six year capital plan calls for another classroom building on Floyd, right next to the one being built this year. See the map on page 25 of the linked PDF that shows another new VCU classroom building on the exact spot where this over 100 year old former church sits today:

Carol & Bobbie Ann make a snow man - 1958

The first real cold of the winter arrives today, in January! It's shaping up to be a warm one here in RVA, so we may never get to see a sight like the one below from February of 1958. Anyone know where this house is? I'm guessing the Museum District, but a quick check on Google Maps didn't turn up anything.

Photo courtesy of The Library of Virginia's Adolph B. Rice Studio collection

The Fan - 1963

Funny thing about old photos of The Fan, they look very similar to a picture of The Fan taken last week. With one exception: The cars! I love this shot of The Fan from February of 1963 for that very reason. Anyone know what street/block this is?

Photo courtesy of VCU Libraries

2210 East Broad Street - Before and After

In April of 1975, 2210 East Broad Street in Church Hill looked like many old houses still look today in Richmond. Thankfully, someone had the foresight to not only save this house, but renovate back to what it must have looked like when it was first built. See below for what this house looks like today.

Top photo courtesy of VCU Libraries

Before and After - 9 North 29th Street

Another before and after success story. This time it's 9 North 29th Street in Church Hill. First up, 1974.

And here's this house in 2011:

Top photo courtesy of VCU Libraries

1813-1815 East Grace - Before and After

Today we take a look at two attached houses on the 1800 block of East Grace (collectively known as the Crump House) from three different eras.

First up, the early 20th century. This picture comes courtesy of Sydney Jordan-Cooley, Lead Carpenter at Restoration Builders of Virginia, and was originally posted in my second writeup about the houses next door. At the time the house on the left was the home of S. Katz Grocery.

Fast forward about 50 years or so to 1974, and both buildings seem to be residential.

About 6 months later in 1975, from a different angle. The side has some great ads left over from when Louis Grocery occupied the building. The buildings (and the block) are obviously in pretty rough shape, having survived a few big hurricanes/floods in the previous 6 years.

And here are the houses today, renovated and thriving.

Middle two photos courtesy of VCU Libraries

Five buildings VCU will tear down next month.

Let me start this post by saying that I am a graduate of VCU, and they have done some great things for this city. I should also mention that a lot of the pictures I use on this site were saved, scanned and hosted by VCU Libraries. Unfortunately, preserving historic architecture isn't one of VCU's strong points. Take a look around the Monroe Park campus: Almost all of the city blocks those buildings, tennis courts and parking lots reside on were once filled with turn of the century row houses.

After a fairly high profile article in the Times-Dispatch Monday on future construction at VCU, I thought I would give a face to the buildings VCU is planning to raze next month. Will the world end when these five buildings are torn down? Of course not. But VCU has quietly (and not so quietly at times) been removing old historic buildings for decades. So as it states in the article above, and another article from February of 2010, there's probably no true historical significance to these five buildings surrounded by parking lots. But taken as a whole, this demolished stretch of the Fan District is very historically significant. Just because VCU has taken 40+ years to raze the block they're about to build on doesn't mean we should give them a pass.

Both of the articles mentioned above state there were no objections from any Fan residents. Is this true? I find that hard to believe, and I hope some Fan residents (and others, for or against this project) leave their thoughts in the comments below.

Below are the buildings that will be demolished next month, and the years built.

102 North Linden Street, built in 1900:

104 North Linden Street, built in 1900:

106 North Linden Street, built in 1910:

1000-1002 Floyd Ave - Baptist Student Union, built in 1905:

109 North Harrison Street - Education Annex, built in 1954:

Thankfully, the VCU Meeting Center at 101 North Harrison Street will be saved. It was built in 1910, and has a fairly storied past. But will it really be saved? The VCU six year capital plan calls for another classroom building on Floyd, right next to the one being built this year. And there won't be any space left on that block except for this former church:

And what will take the place of these mostly 100+ year old buildings? Definitely not the worst when it comes to modern VCU buildings, but I for one will be sad to see it built.

2704 East Franklin Street - Before and After

Another success story with today's pictures. 2704 East Franklin in Church Hill was looking pretty rough when this first picture was taken in April of 1974. It does look like the beginnings of a renovation are taking place if you look in the upper windows, but even the surrounding houses are pretty run down.

Today this house has been revived, along with the it's neighbors:

Top photo courtesy of VCU Libraries

1809-1811 East Grace St - Before and After part deux

Today we revisit a post from a few months ago about 1809-1811 East Grace Street. Sydney Jordan-Cooley, Lead Carpenter at Restoration Builders of Virginia was kind enough to send me more photos of this house. Sydney and Restoration Builders helped bring these two houses back from the dead in the late 90s.

This first photo looks to be from the early part of the 20th century, judging by the cobblestones and the stoplight at the top of the picture. I love that the house on the corner is the home of S. Katz's grocery. The Nolde's Tip Top Bread sign near the steps is great too. See this post from last week for more on Church Hill's Nolde Brothers Bakery. In this photo you can also see the small wood house that was next door to 1809-1811, as well as the original bell tower on the firehouse to the right:

The second photo is probably from the 1930s. The road is now paved, and a door has been added above the front porch - this door lasted until these houses were renovated some 60 years later. The small house to the right is starting to look a little rough:

The next two pictures were taken in the late 90s, just before and just as Restoration Builders began work on the houses. Looking at these photos it's amazing the house even lasted as long as it did. As one of the comments on the previous post pointed out, the floods of 1972 probably had a hand in the downfall of these houses (and this block):

Last, here's the houses from a few months ago. Hats off to Sydney and Restoration Builders not only for saving these two houses, but for all they do!