While the Haxall canal was drained for repairs…
…the historic James River and Kanawha Canal behind Tredegar being altered, probably for an amphitheater.
Historic Canal Alterations
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Category Archives: construction
708 China Threatened With Demolition
The neighborhood association received word yesterday that the developer has decided to demolish the historic home at 708 China St. as part of a Special Use Permit.
708 China Street is on the State and National Registers of Historic Places as a contributing structure to the Oregon Hill Historic District. The Department of Historic Resources nomination report for the Oregon Hill Historic District dates the house to the 1850s. This one-story gable roofed structure is a rare survival within our historic district and within Richmond as a whole.
There is ample room on the lot to preserve the house while building a new addition in the rear.
More on the history:
The house appears on the 1876 Beers Atlas, owned by the estate of F. W. Baker. At that time, it was rental property. F. W. Baker was a former engineer whose family lived at 410 N. 18th Street.
The earliest city directory that cross-references street addresses is the 1878 directory. (Earlier city directories had name listings but not street listings.) In the 1878 city directory, the house at 708 China was occupied by George Evans, a stonecutter. Evans likely worked at the prominent monument business owned by A. J. Wray at the entrance of Hollywood Cemetery. 708 China is the only address listed on the north side of the 700 block of China St in the 1878 city directory, and this corresponds with the 1876 Beers insurance map.
Close-up of the 1876 Beers Atlas with the house at 708 China St., owned by F. W. Baker estate, identified with a red arrow:
1876 Beers Atlas, with a red arrow identifying the house at 708 China St. owned by F. W. Baker estate:
The house at 708 China also appears on the 1865 Mitchie map, which indicates that it is likely an ante-bellum structure.
Historian Tom Elliott has tracked the location of the serpentine wall of the Belvidere estate on the 1865 Mitchie map and notices that the 708 China building would have been within the walled enclosure. Belvidere burned in 1854 so it does not appear on the 1865 map, but the location of the building would have been nearby to the south east of 708 China. More research is needed on the history of this historic building that is an important contributing structure to the Oregon Hill Historic District.
New Construction On Laurel Street
New foundations
New Amphitheater Planned
RichmondBizsense and the Times Dispatch are reporting on plans for a new amphitheater adjacent to the Tredegar Iron Works complex on the downtown riverfront.
While some Oregon Hill residents are excited, other residents are very concerned about its impact on the neighborhood and the riverfront’s wildlife.
Unlike the previous amphitheater proposal, this one is on private land with no special use permit required. The riverfront rezoning over a year ago removes any parking requirement. When City officials presented the rezoning to Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association in Pleasants Park, residents asked to see their master plan, and they replied that they had no plans for the site (which was apparently untrue). They previously removed the trees and the canal raceways and stone sculpture from the site.
With this and Oregon Hill’s Richmond300 amendment going the Planning Commission next week, the neighborhood is on edge and can barely keep up with the pace of change, and that’s probably purposeful under RIchmond’s neoliberal regime.
Cumberland Street’s Grace Arents Houses Getting Porch Repair
China Street Work
Infrastructure work on China Street continues. Part of it might be in preparation for new infill construction on the lot at 823 China Street.
The Old Steps
The lot at 823 China has been cleared and old steps have emerged. What did the old structure look like before it was demolished? What new structure will be built there?
Monroe Park Igloo
Water Main Break at Laurel and Holly
City crew came to work on a broken water main at the intersection of S. Laurel and Holly Streets.
Proposed Solar Project Violates Covenant
Some residents have received a letter from Dominion dated September 17, 2020 stating their intention to add up to 20 feet in height to the parking deck below Oregon Hill for a solar array.
While most Oregon Hill residents are probably in support of Dominion going solar, this appears to violate the “Declaration of Restrictive Covenants” that was signed by by Dominion in 2001.
From Laurel Street resident Charles Pool:
Dear Mr. Sarfo-Kantanka, Dominion External Affairs Manager
According to the information provided on your website, the proposed solar collector on top of the existing parking deck at the Dominion headquarters on Tredegar street would rise to 108 feet in height. This is in clear violation of the “Declaration of Restrictive Covenants” that Dominion signed in 2001.
According to this “Declaration of Restrictive Covenants”, Dominion agreed to limit the building heights to 65′ in this location where the parking deck is located. (Please see the attached “Declaration of Restrictive Covenants” with the attached plat.)
As you know, we have one of the most famous and noteworthy views of the James River at the fall line from Oregon Hill park. Dominion has already obscured some of this view with their new trading building and older tower.
Some of us remember the battle in 2000 with Dominion to protect our view. As stated in the attached article by Michael Paul Williams: “Now, people in Oregon Hill worry that Dominion, having kept its riverfront property off limits, will ultimately block or mar the river view beyond its boundaries. The property belongs to Dominion. But the river belongs to all of us. Who gets priority? It depends on your point of view.”
While we probably all support solar power, this small number of panels could be put anywhere and it is not necessary to violate the “Declaration of Restrictive Covenants” to put them in one of the state’s most important views.
Please let us know if Dominion will respect the “Declaration of Restrictive Covenants” that you signed in 2001.
Sincerely,
Charles Pool