The Times Dispatch ran an article this morning on the 60th anniversary of the Virginia War Memorial. Unfortunately, it lacks acknowledgement of the historical fact that many Oregon Hill homes were demolished to build the War Memorial.
Instead the article begins with this: “In 1953, the hill overlooking the James River along Belvidere Street was home to a couple of small buildings and a billboard for Purelube motor oil.” The article later describes the site as being atop Gambles Hill rather than Oregon Hill: “But for decades, the memorial often stood vacant atop Gambles Hill …”
The reality is that the Va. War Memorial is sited on Oregon HIll where many homes were demolished to make way for the memorial.
From the http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/richmond/oregonhillhd.html”>National Parks Service website, regarding the Oregon Hill Historic District:
“In 1847, the Harvie Family platted their property east of Belvidere and south of the penitentiary as the Oregon Hill subdivision. The community’s name came from the witty geographic observation that a pedestrian excursion trip from the center of Richmond to Oregon Hill seemed the equivalent of a trip to Oregon by the standards of the day. The original portion of Oregon Hill consisted of modest houses east of Belvidere and south of Spring Street. Its early occupants were a mixture of white and African American laborers and artisans. This area, just outside the boundary of the district, was demolished to construct the Virginia War Memorial and state office buildings.”
