The ERS’s Food Desert Locator attempts to illustrate which communities have the least access to healthy food:

In a 2009 report to Congress, Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food: Measuring and Understanding Food Deserts and Their Consequences, ERS outlined a number of ways to measure how many people have limited access to food and how many live in low-income areas with limited access. The report used 1-kilometer (km) square grids as the base geographic unit of analysis, measuring distance from the nearest source of healthy foods. Grids outside of a specified distance from a food source were designated as low access areas (separate markers for low access were used for rural and urban areas). Grids with high concentrations of low-income individuals received particular attention.

Supermarkets and large grocery stores were used as proxies for sources of healthy and affordable foods. Based upon these data sources and measures, the report described characteristics of people and households residing in areas with limited access to healthy and affordable food such as the number of poor people, the number of children or older persons, and the number of households without vehicles.

The definitions and methods used in the 2009 ERS report provide accurate and credible estimates of the extent of limited access to healthy food in the U.S. population across a large and geographically diverse country. Use of the 1-km square grid increased precision in measuring where people are and how far they are from sources of healthy food; the 1-km square grid measure also provided consistency in defining geographic areas across the country. However, the 1-km square grids are not widely used geographic units; organizations and communities applying for HFFI funding are unlikely to be familiar with them; and there is no standardized way to identify a specific grid (unlike counties, zip codes, or census tracts which can be identified).

Because of unfamiliarity with these grids, the HFFI working group decided to use census tracts as the geographic units of analysis. Census tracts are more commonly used geographic measures and have a standardized numbering system. (The 1 kilometer-square grids are still used to measure distance as explained in Definition of a Food Desert). A census tract is a small, relatively permanent subdivision of a county that generally contains between 1,000 to 8,000 people, with an optimum size of 4,000 people.

[VIA]

More maps via Cameron, scans of some research presented at one of the neighborhood association meetings a few years ago. Published here, today, because I just really love a good map.

Cameron Holmes has put together an amazing map that digs into the neighborhoods and subdivisions in Richmond.

In his own words:

Since childhood, I have had an interest in the history of my family’s neighborhood, Woodville. In the early 90s, my aunt gave me a copy of a rough draft of a city neighborhood study from a co-worker who knew she was from Woodville. The study divided the East End without the Fulton area into 22 study areas based on the neighborhoods. Woodville was study area 1. Previous to reading that study, like a lot of people, I grouped Fairmount, Union Hill, Oakwood, Chimborazo, etc into one neighborhood.

Also during the 90s, my collection of books on Richmond started to grow and focus more on neighborhoods with Church Hill: The St. John’s Church Historic District, Richmond’s Fan District, and Old Richmond Neighborhoods. From those books, I learned more details about the East End neighborhoods and learned of subdivisions in the West End.

In college, my senior research project was the history of Woodville and during my research at the Richmond and Henrico courthouses, I discovered smaller neighborhoods in and around Woodville while looking at the deeds and plat maps. This contrasted with the city study map which I had used in determining the boundaries of Woodville. I made a few maps showing Woodville and its surrounding neighborhoods based off my new-found information. After the paper and college I said I would continue my research on Woodville and expand it to other areas of the city; however, I have not gone back to the courthouses to do the research I had wanted as of yet.

By 2004, I had found the city’s official neighborhoods map and was disgusted with what I saw. My neighborhood of Woodville was in the wrong place. Then I looked and found the boundaries for everything was incorrect, neighborhoods were omitted, and places had names that seemed to be made up and never existed. I wanted to correct this error. I had found Henrico’s map on its website in brilliant detail. Every subdivision was labeled even if it was one or two parcels. I wondered why couldn’t Richmond have its own true map?

In 2006, I came across the city’s GIS map of the city. I printed them out with hopes of taking some of the addresses and going down to the courthouses to find the plat maps or anything I could find. I started with the entire East End. I compiled a list of addresses of some parcels of interest, but before I could finish, the site went down and was redesigned to basically what it is today. When the city’s new parcel map was made available in 2007, I printed the entire city and discovered that I could read the parcel info. I went through practically every street and address and gathered the legal description associated with them. Those were the names of the subdivisions.

I sorted through the list of addresses and neighborhood names and plotted them on the parcel map. From there, I printed out street map from the city and drew on it the boundaries of the neighborhoods and subdivisions. I had also found many plat maps thanks to Henrico uploading them to their site and I had come in possession of many maps and more books on Richmond that included old maps which had the names of places I had discovered using the city’s own information.

A friend let me know that Google Maps had started to allow for people to make their own maps. I took advantage of that and started to input the information from my maps. There are some subdivisions that I need to confirm the exact boundaries or names because some descriptions only had block and lot numbers and no other information. I did yield to some modern maps of the city and used names such as Church Hill North, Monroe and Jackson Wards (neither of which is an official name and are from one subdivision), City Center, Shockoe Bottom, etc but added later outlines of the original subdivisions to this map.

I have wanted to show this map to the city and to its residents in order to have the city’s map corrected and to educate the public. I grew tired of the news getting areas wrong and places like Google using the city’s incorrect map to label places on its map. The very thing I was using while making my map started to use the incorrect information. I also wanted to let those in the city government know before they started erecting neighborhood signs in the wrong places or using wrong names. Everyone should know where they live. If you go to the counties, everyone knows their subdivisions exactly. The city is made up of many subdivisions and a lot of people don’t know where they live. Those in the West End annexed in 1942 and Southside annexed in 1970 pretty much know where they live and the city has some of their subdivisions correct.

What I find amazing is that the names of many of Richmond’s older neighborhoods had remained known and in use since at least the early 1800s until somewhere along the line, someone started calling them by other names. The deeds and older residents could tell you the real names. Legally, the correct names are in the deeds and as long as they have not been changed, those names still stand. A lot of people don’t and won’t care about such issues. I’ve been told by someone at the city that letting people know the truth would divide people and neighborhoods and we’d have more places with rivalries. I really doubt that. People should have the correct information available to them at all times. I think it’s time for people to become reacquainted with where they actually live.

There’s still more work to do on the map, but I have enough to present. There’s time to fine-tune and as the city grows and adds more subdivisions, it’ll be updated. I am open to corrections or additions.

Dear TV folks (more than anyone) –

There are many neighborhoods in the East End of Richmond, of which Church Hill is only one. When something happens the area, please try to identify the neighborhood accurately. This is a diverse community with many different neighborhoods. Each have a related but different history, and related but different challenges. It’s kind of important to get it right.

Today, Yvette Yeon of nbc12 writes about a “3-year-old boy shot in his Church Hill home”. The shooting took place over a mile away from Church Hill. This misidentification happens all the time. That double homicide on Christmas Eve? Happened in Chimborazo. As a commenter alluded to here on CHPN, you don’t call West Leigh Street or Idlewood Avenue the Fan. Check your facts, please.

Try this, it’s fun! Go to the city’s Parcel Mapper and type in an address. Click on the marker for that address and open the info window. Click the tab for “Planning” and look where it says “City Neighborhood Name”. Bingo!

Of the 13 killings in the East End in 2011, 8 were located in public housing complexes or high-density low-income apartments adjacent to public housing. In June, three homeless individuals killed another homeless man in a vacant building on Oliver Hill Way. In August, a man was killed during an apparent robbery at the Chimbo Market. December saw a mysterious shooting that ended on 25th Street and the frightening Christmas Eve double shooting and kidnapping.

There were no killings in the Fulton/Montrose areas this year.

Arrests have been made in 9 of the 13 killings in the East End, a 69% clearance rate:

East End Homicides in 2011

Suprisingly for a year that ended with a remarkably low body count, every month in 2011 saw at least one homicide in the city. Richmond has seen in recent years months without a killing: no one was killed in RVA in November 2009, or in February or June 2010. These remain the only such quiet months in at least the last 31 years.

Between 1982 to 2006, Richmond saw at least 63 killings (and often many more). The number started rising in the mid-1980s and jumped to 100 in 1988. The yearly toll stayed over 100 for 10 straight years, hitting 161 in 1994 and 140 in 1997. The count dipped back into the 70s, jumped towards 100 in 2004, and has fallen dramatically the past 5 years. The historic low of 32 was achieved in 2008, with 2009 close behind with 39.

On the way to a devastating body count of 161, 1994 saw 2 months with over 20 killings, and only one month in the single digits. The violence peaked in August 1994 when 25 killings left someone dead almost every day of that month. There were more people killed in July and August of 1994 than in all of 2011. There were an equal number of murders that April alone to the total of the first 8 months of 2011. There were more murders that year than in 2007, 2008, 2009, and the 1st half of 2010 combined. It was rough, to say the least.

Here is the homicide count and population data by year for Richmond 1934-2011: Murder in Richmond 1934-2011 (PDF).

This is an updated version of a piece first published in July 2010.

VIA Carlton McKenney’s Rails in Richmond. [VIEW LARGER]

Another interesting map found on the city’s site:

This map contains the Fire District and Fire Marshal district areas.

A map showing the annexation history of Richmond:

This map shows the annexation/growth history of the City of Richmond, VA.. Web Map by DIT_Richmond (last modified: October 12, 2011)

Not as beautiful as the hand-watercolored map from the Library of Virginia, but useful.

See also:

• Bicycle and pedestrian accidents in Richmond (2000-2010)
• Foreclosures in Richmond (2005-2011)

Found on the city’s site:

A map of foreclosed parcels in Richmond, VA. Web Map by ASR_Richmond (last modified: November 22, 2011)

The city’s Land Use Parcel Mapper indicates that the Jefferson Townhomes properties are being considered for rezoning from R-53 to R-63 (in line with the rest of Union Hill). Does anyone know if this relates at all to previous attempts to redevelop the property, or a possible new plan?

The city’s Citizens Guide to Residential Zoning Districts & Regulations (PDF) says that:

The intent of the R-63 Multi-Family Residential district is to encourage development of a medium-density neighborhood comprised of a mix of residential uses while promoting a pedestrian-oriented urban environment. It is intended to be primarily residential in character, but includes limited non-residential uses that serve the day-to-day conveniences for residents.

The independent city of Richmond was located within Henrico County until a state constitutional change in 1871 created independent cities. Earlier maps of Henrico show Richmond at the center of the county. A number of later maps of Richmond draw from the 1853 Smith’s Map of Henrico County.

Click through any map to view larger and for more information.

Henrico County (1864)

Henrico County (Nacomb 1862)

Henrico County (Smith 1853)

Henrico County (Smith 1853)

DETAIL Henrico County (Smith 1853)

Richmond (Adams 1864)

Map of the city of Richmond, Virginia/From a survey by I. H. Adams, Assist., U.S. Coast Survey, 1858, with additions from Smith’s map of Henrico County, 1853. Prepared at the U.S. Coast Survey Office, A.D. Bache, Supt. H. Lindenkohl & Chas. G. Krebs, lith.

[Map of Henrico County, Va. : showing fortifications around Richmond, north and east of the James River].

CREATED/PUBLISHED
[1864]

NOTES
Reference: LC Land ownership maps, 1281

Shows the names of some residents.

Relief shown by hachures.

Title and date from Stephenson’s Civil War maps, 1989.

Drawn on a 3/8-inch pencil grid.

Pen-and-ink, pencil, and watercolor on paper composed of many sheets pasted together. Sectioned in 3 and mounted on cloth.

Richmond City Council will hold a public hearing and vote on the 2011 Richmond Decennial Voter District Redistricting District Boundary Plans during their scheduled meeting on Monday, November 14, 2011.

The two proposed plans include: Richmond City Council Ordinance Number 2011-184, that was introduced by The Honorable Ellen F. Robertson, Gateway 6th District, and Richmond City Council Ordinance Number 2011-185, that was introduced by The Honorable Charles R. Samuels, North Central 2nd District.

The only difference between the two proposed District Boundary plans (in addition to changes to the existing Richmond Voter Districts) is that the plan introduced by Councilman Samuels would move a portion of the Monroe Ward Neighborhood (in downtown Richmond) out of the North Central 2nd Voting District and into the Gateway 6th Voting District. Both plans propose adding a chunk of Shockoe Valley and Shockoe Slip to the existing 7th District.

2011 Redistricting Distric Plan Patron Robertson

2011 Redistricting District Plan Samuels

A Church Hill North walking tour on October 15 from the folks at the Valentine Richmond History Center, Better Housing Coalition, and the Storefront for Community Design. 10/15/2011 10AM-noon $5. 1001 North 25th Street.

Amy George sent in this link to the Evergreen Cemetery interactive map:

This opens the door to everyone with a GPS, iPad, or tablet PC, to help us fill in the blanks in the burial records. We need to preserve the data as it’s in many cases the only record of a person’s life and the tombstone is the only link to the present. John Shuck worked tirelessly to extract these records, and continues to collect photos for Find-A-Grave. Fall and winter is a great time to volunteer at the cemetery – the bugs and poison ivy are gone, and the vegetation dies back so you can get a better look at the beautiful, historic graves.

http://evergreencemeteryva.wordpress.com/

John Shuck is on facebook and @findagraver on twitter

From the 1867 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Map of Richmond, made under the direction of Maj. Nathaniel Micheler and Capt. Peter S. Michie (National Archives, Record Group 77, Map G 204, #55 & 57). Via Civil War Richmond:

This map is scanned from a reprinted map published by the Richmond Civil War Centennial Committee in 1965 (Official Publication #25). The map was completed in 1867, and shows the city of Richmond as it appeared shortly after the Union occupation of Richmond, in April of 1865. It is, in my opinion, the most detailed and accurate map of the city to be found.

VIEW PANELS / VIEW EAST END

Richmond, Virginia (1864)

Richmond, Virginia (1865)

Richmond, Virginia (1865)

Hand-drawn map of Richmond (186x) via American Memory at the Library of Congress.

Richmond & vicinity.

CREATED/PUBLISHED
[186-]

NOTES
Relief shown by hachures.

Shows names of some residents.

Title on verso obscured by mounting.

Pen-and-ink and pencil on 2 pieces of tracing linen, pasted together and mounted on cloth.

Reference: LC Civil War maps (2nd ed.), 636

In pencil in lower left: 12.

Copy imperfect: Ink spots thoughout, and large area of liquid staining in upper right.

VIEW LARGER / VIA

The Church Hill Old & Historic Districts, a look at the St.John’s Church, Church Hill North, Chimborazo Park, and Shockoe Valley districts, will be released by the Historic Richmond Foundation in October 2011. The HRF will be sponsoring the Church Hill neighborhood picnic on 6/21 to highlight the neighborhood and to let neighbors know about the book.

John Zehmer and Marguerte Crumley wrote a previous look at the St.John’s Church Historic District (published in 1991). The new book, written by Zehmer in collaboration with Joanne Tresnauk McDonald, augments the original and adds the Church Hill North, Chimborazo Park, and Shockoe Valley City Old & Historic districts. As the book was already underway when Union Hill was declared to be a City Old & Historic District, it is not included in the book. The adjacent National Historic Districts of Fairmount and Oakwood-Chimborazo are not included, either.

A block-by-block look at the historic districts, this is a stunning book that makes clear the historical importance of the area, as well as illustrating the appeal of living in the neighborhood. Photographs of many, though not all, of the structures in the areas are included in the book. Ownership history is provided for some of the properties, and is fascinating when available. The 275-page color-bound hardback includes a handful of historic photos, a large amount of black and white photography by Zehmer, as well as stunning new color photography by Richard Creek.

As was expected, State Senate and House of Delegates redistricting has swapped a portion of House of Delegates District 70 (currently represented by Delores McQuinn [D]) to House of Delegates District 71 (currently represented by Jennifer McClellan [D]). Changes to State Senate District 16 (Henry L Marsh [D]) do not impact the area.

The changes are especially subtle and coherent when compared to the slice-and-dice in other parts of the city.

The state’s redistricting maps are out, and Jennifer McClellan‘s (D-71st) district, presently the area south of O/Burton/M Street is expanding north to take in Fairmount, Brauers, Woodville and beyond. This northern part of the area has been part of the 70th District, currently represented by Delores McQuinn.

Regrettably, we were unable to get the necessary permits and assemble enough funding to make the official race a reality for this year. HOWEVER, we would still like to give you all a preview of next year’s official event. So, with that being said, we plan to gather together on Sunday March 27th at 9:00 AM and run/jog/walk the course (see map below). If you’re interested in joining us, please let us know so that we can expect you.

You may do so by emailing David Conmy at david.conmy@gmail.com

Several important notes:
Plan to meet in Patrick Henry Park (intersection of E. Broad St. and N. 25th St.) at 8:45 AM for a 9:00 AM start.

This informal event will occur rain or shine, so dress appropriately for the weather.

Since we don’t have the necessary permits for road closures, everyone will need to stay on the sidewalks and obey all traffic signals as we run/jog/walk the course.

We’re trying to make arrangements for a surprise treat at the end of the run so plan to stay for a little while after you finish if possible.

In keeping with the spirit of the Irish Festival, try to wear something green.

Thanks, we look forward to seeing you all there!
Best,

Church Hilltopper 5K Planning Team

The 1905 Sanborn Maps for Richmond are now available online:

Sanborn Maps were originally created for assessing fire insurance liability in urbanized areas in the United States. The maps include detailed information regarding town and building information in approximately 12,000 U.S. towns and cities from 1867 to 1970.

Into demographics? Dig down into individual census tracts and look at race/ethnicity, income, housing, and education data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (based on samples from 2005 to 2009).

A new site dedicated to the reclamation of Evergreen Cemetery has posted two maps of the cemeteries which illustrate the scale of the site.

The new Richmond Type Map (previously) is pretty sweet, but totally disses most of the neighborhood.

Mary has word on a cool map:

This is sooo cool!!!! Richmond is getting it’s own “Type” map created by Carrie at StudioSavvy! So happy to have it available at FRAME NATION for Christmas delivery when she is done!! WoOT!! I’m getting my own for sure.

Via flickr:

Fascinating numbers in John V. Moeser’s An Overview of Poverty, Race, and Jurisdiction in Metropolitan Richmond (PDF): Richmond contains the densest concentration of public housing south of NYC; 40% of all residents residing in East End Richmond live in poverty; 72% of residents in Census 301 (Gilpin Court) live in poverty.

I was astounded by Bill Rankin’s map of Chicago’s racial and ethnic divides and wanted to see what other cities looked like mapped the same way. To match his map, Red is White, Blue is Black, Green is Asian, and Orange is Hispanic, and each dot is 25 people. Data from Census 2000.

Previously:

• Richmond population distribution 1923
  “A detail from a 1923 City of Richmond Public Works map that upon which the darker areas ‘indicates location of colored population’.”
• Richmond population distribution 1930
  “Issued 1931, produced by the Department of Public Works Bureau of Survey and Design. Each dot represents 25 people.”

Thanks to Hills and Heights for the heads up.

The first draft version of the plan for the revitilization of the 25th Street/Nine Mile corridor has been released:

The plan details specific proposals for a number of areas and is a result of the input from more than 1,000 people who attended the opening and closing events and the various planning sessions throughout the week. [...] This version of the plan is a draft and we welcome your input and suggestions. Please send your correspondence to eastendvison@bshsi.org.

At a meeting at EDI this past Saturday, Councilwoman Newbille introduced the plan and said that they are looking for feedback on the plan from individuals and civic organizations. Planner Juanita Buster with the Department of Community Development talked more about the process moving forward and took questions from the crowd. The responses to feedback and the next steps will be shared at a meeting in October.

The plan can be download by section at East End Vision or here as a 120MB .zip file.

Cynthia Newbille and Juanita Buster 8/7/2010

This ends early, my batteries died.

Laura Geller from nbc12 came out for the meeting:

At some point, the city launched a website for reporting priority issues such as potholes, overgrown lots, abandoned cars, non-functioning street lights, non-functioning traffic lights, trash/bulk pick-ups, and illegal dumping.

Population Density and Bus Stops – City of Richmond, Virginia by Stuart Squier

The folks at Duany Plater-Zyberk shared some of their process and what they’ve been hearing tonight as the East End Transformation process moved to the Family Resource Center on Jefferson Avenue for the Studio Open House.

TOP: Ideas for the intersection of 25th Street, Nine Mile, and Fairmount Avenue

By all accounts, public participation has been incredibly high for each of the sessions so far (and Mrs.Thompson has apparently been ubiquitous&inspirational :).

There are tons of maps of the area and photos of buildings and streetscapes. Some show distance relationships, others emphasize transportation or infrastructure.

The folks from DPZ are set up at workspaces at both ends of the Family Resource Center.

Ideas of how to handle the oddly shaped lots along Nine Mile Road.

A drawing of the intersection described as “the heart of the community”.

Circles with a 1/4 mile radius; can be walked edge-to-edge in 5 minutes.

What is and what could be.

There are 3 public sessions remaining:

• FrIday, June 4 – Philanthropy and Foundations meeting 10–11AM @FRC?
• Saturday, June 5 – Public Pin-up and Youth Charrette 11AM–1PM @FRC
• Monday, June 7 – Closing Presentation – 5–6:30PM Robinson Theatre

A pre-interstate map of Richmond published by The Automobile Blue Book Publishing Company in 1919.

The public hearing portion of the Church Hill rezoning process kicks off this month, with the Planning Commission reviewing an amendment to the Master Plan land use recommendations applicable to this portion of the East End planning district at their April 19, 2010 meeting.

Maps of the existing and proposed zoning:

• Existing Zoning map (PDF)
• Proposed Zoning map (PDF)
• Master Plan Amendment map (PDF)
• Parking Exempt Overlay map (PDF)

The Shockoe Examiner shared yesterday that Robert W. Waitt, Jr.’s Confederate Military Hospitals in Richmond, originally published in 1964 by the Richmond Civil War Centennial Committee, has been put online as part of VCU Libraries’ Digital Collections.

Both Howard’s Grove and Chimborazo Hospital get pages. Not so familiar with Howard’s Grove? The priceless Civil War Richmond has some more information:

The Grove was originally a popular Richmond picnic-recreation area. It was taken over by the Confederacy at the outbreak of the War as a drill and bivouac point for the first incoming troops to arrive in Richmond. Converted into a hospital area by the construction of buildings for ward and utility purposes and opened in June 1862. Occupied area now confined by the City streets of Mechanicsville Turnpike in the east, Coalter street in the west, Redd Street on the north, and Q Street (extended) on the south; and having an extension east of Mechanicsville Turnpike to 19th Street with T Street on the north and Fairmount Avenue on the south. An annex was located between 21st and 23rd Streets, T Street, and the ally south of Fairmount Avenue. Having a capacity of 659 in December of 1862. It was quickly expanded to over 1800. Employees averaged 85. A portion was set aside for the isolation of smallpox cases, both military and local civilians. It had its own laundry, bakery, storehouses, water supply, recreational facilities.

A nice companion piece to this photo, the Housing + Transportation Affordabilty Index delineates areas where residents spend a high proportion of their income on housing or housing&transportation.

The maps above and below show Housing Costs – % Income (left) and Housing and Transportation Costs – % Income (right). The blue on the left show areas where housing costs represent 30% or more of family income. The blue on the right indicates areas where the cost of housing as well as the cost of transportation associated with the location of the home is 45% or more of family income.

From the H+T Affordability Index site:

Housing Costs factored as a percent of income has widely been utilized as a measure of affordability. Traditionally, a home is considered affordable when the costs consume no more than 30% of household income.

H+T has been developed as a more complete measure of affordability beyond the standard method of assessing only Housing Costs. By taking into account both the cost of housing as well as the cost of transportation associated with the location of the home, H+T provides a more complete understanding of affordability. Dividing these costs by Representative Regional Incomes illustrates the Cost Burden placed on a Typical Household by H+T expenses. While housing alone is traditionally deemed affordable when consuming no more than 30% of income, CNT has defined an affordable range for H+T as the combined costs consuming no more than 45% of income.

Lines 1-10 are streetcars, the rest are busses. Areas more than 1/4 mile from a line are cross-hatched. Each dot represents 25 people (previously.

Land use in Church Hill and Short Pump. Both are shown at the same scale.

Inspired by Stuart Squiers’ side-by-side of Short Pump and the Fan, I put together the above comparison of our walkable mixed-use community and the mockery of this out on West Broad Street.

Majority of the paving is to be slurry, with arterial and collector roads resurfaced with pavement. The two neighborhood projects mapped above will pave 27.1 lane miles at an estimated cost of $525,000. Under the mayor’s proposal, Church Hill North would see new roads in 2010, with Oakwood and Chimborazo getting the treatment in 2012. Williamsburg Road and Government Road in the East End are scheduled for 2013, with Richmond Road, Oakwood, and 25th Street set for 2014.

The budget includes $165,000 to double the city’s General Fund tree planting budget.

The RTD has a good write-up if you’re looking for the bigger picture view:

Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones is proposing a $637.3 million city budget for next year that includes 11 layoffs, no raises for employees and no cuts in services. [...]

Officials managed to avoid a predicted shortfall of $33.6 million — and avoid deep cuts in services — by offering a series of administrative and systematic changes to either boost revenues or reduce spending.

Historic districts listed on The Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places. This is the first city-wide map that I’ve seen that includes the semi-recent Fairmount Historic District.

O.W. Gray and Son, 1883. Pre-Jefferson Avenue, shows the Central Lunatic Asylum, the route of the train tunnel, and offers up the alternate letter names for Clay, Leigh, and M/N/O Streets.

Issued 1931, produced by the Department of Public Works Bureau of Survey and Design. Each dot represents 25 people. Makes an interesting companion to an earlier DPW map…

TOP: North of Jefferson Avenue / BOTTOM: South of Carrington Street. Click either image to view larger. Visit the Flickr page to view larger and full size.

There were approximately 27,743 people living in the East End of Richmond in 2000.

For the sake of the math, this tally includes the 12 census tracts in the city east of I-95, south of I-64, and north of the James River (map PDF or see below).

The 2000 Census data showed Richmond as having 197,790 residents, down from 1990 (202,798) and 1980 (219,214). More recent estimates indicate that the loss has bottomed out and that the population has risen slightly, with Richmond now having just over 202,000 residents.

During the same period that the city lost 2.5% of its population, the population of these 12 tracts dropped by less than .5%.

Much more detailed information is available at factfinder.census.gov. Select Detailed Tables to dig more specifically into any of the individual tracts.

Census Tracts 201-212 (1990&2000)

Though arrest has been made in each of the nine incidents, no one has been convicted of any of the killings. Of the 11 people arrested, 7 have either been acquitted of the killing, the prosecution entered Nolle Prosequi on the charges, or a mistrial was declared (via General District Courts and Circuit Court Case Information). The Office of the Commonwealth Attorney reports that all but one of the arrestees are still locked up on other charges, though — which appear to combinations of drug and weapons possession, for the most part on top of other prior convictions.

East End Homicides 2009

1. David Boyd
   Murder on T Street (1/5/09)
   Chocolate Lewis was arrested charged with Conspiracy to Commit Murder (Nolle Prosequi). Chavon Rogers was also charged with Conspiracy to Commit Murder, though it does not appear that this went to court.
2. Orlando Alston
   Fatal shooting on Phaup Street (2/28/09)
   Brandon Jefferson was arrested and charged with Conspiracy to Commit Murder (acquitted 9/16). Vernon Thomas was Nolle Prosequi on the Murder, but did get sentenced to 5 years for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
3. Walter Page
   Murder in Whitcomb (3/23/09)
   Tormon Mack was arrested and charged with Murder (acquitted 11/5/09); he was charged but not convicted of Attempted Murder in August of 2003. Mack has a jury trial coming up in April for Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute and for Revocation of parole.
4. Jamall Holman
   Shooting at 21st and Leigh (4/22/09)
   Eric Driver was arrested and charged with Murder-2nd Degree. Goes to trial at the end of January.
5. Franklin Baker
   Reports of a body on Melton Avenue (5/5/09)
   Tavaris Williams was arrested and charged with Murder-1st Degree (Nolle Prosequi).
6. Thomas Scott
   Murder on 31st Street (5/13/09)
   Anthony Singleton was arrested and charged with Murder-1st Degree. This case went to a jury trial, in which a mistrial was decared on 10/16/2009.
7. D’Sean Williams
   Richmond Police Investigating Toddler’s Death in Montrose Heights (GFN 6/2/09)
   Ashley Williams was arrested and charged with Murder-2nd Degree and Child Neglect. Goes to jury trial 01/20/2010.
8. Qian Huang
   Murder on Whitcomb Street (7/28/09)
   Tobias Young was arrested and charged with Murder, Use of Firearm to Commit a Felony, and Attempted Robbery. This is still in the courts, no trial date set yet.
9. Leeshaun Bynum
   Murder on Rosetta Street (8/10/09)
   Ardie Flowers was arrested and charged with Voluntary Manslaughter and Unlawful Wounding. Goes to trial at the end of March.

Efective January 31, 2010, GRTC‘s route 13 Main Street/Church Hill will be eliminated (PDF), as will 5 other “historically underperforming routes”. GRTC’s route map (PDF) shows routes 1 and 2 offering similar east/west linkages.

Taking the Richmond Vacant Property Registry as a starting point, student journalist Maureen Link has pulled together a look at the impact of the high rate of vacant properties in the area:

“It’s not the urban issues that keep people away so much as the fabric is really destroyed in a lot of ways,” [he says]. “Sure people have the right to own property as a profit making venture but this is a community where people live. We’d have more kids in schools, more people buying stuff from our stores, restaurants…everything it would be better in every way if not for all these vacant properties.”

The story includes a devastating map of all of the properties on the Richmond Vacant Property Registry.

Detail from a 1962 map of Richmond published by Esso. Drawn before the construction of I-64, the map also ncludes the pre-MLK Bridge street grid west of Mosby Street and the original streets of Fulton.

The Union Hill Historic District

1. Introduction and Early History
2. Development in the Nineteenth Century
3. After the Civil War
4. The Twentieth Century
5. Maps of the Union Hill Historic District
6. Credit and Sources & More

Introduction and Early History

The Union Hill neighborhood was long separated from the rest of Church Hill by a deep ravine. This physical isolation, combined with its hilly and rugged terrain, led to development of an independent community with a unique plan and distinctive architectural character.

The name Union Hill, which first appears in 1817, was derived from the joining of two hills – Doing’s and Adams’. Topography did more to shape the character of Union Hill than any other factor. The cliffs overlooking Shockoe Valley formed the western edge of the neighborhood while a deep ravine that cut diagonally from the corner of Broad and 20th streets to N and 24th streets defined the southern limits. The land in between was hilly and rugged.

In 1805, when John Adams and Benjamin Mosby laid out Union Hill for development they used an irregular street pattern to accommodate the hilly terrain. “They used a grid pattern, but instead of a rigid plan with equal size squares like that of Richmond, the grid was adapted to curve and climb with the hills. This resulted in several narrow, bending streets, and squares of various sizes and shapes.”‘ The terrain also isolated the community from the rest of Church Hill and the city. In 1853 a mile drive was necessary to get from Leigh Street Baptist to Asbury Methodist, three blocks away.

As the hills were smoothed and the streets graded the foundations and basements of houses were often exposed. “Skied” is the term that Mary Wingfield Scott used to describe the effect of these raised houses with “their far-away porches reached by precipitous steps.” In a few instances, the houses mimic the irregular angles of the blocks forming trapezoids rather than traditional rectangles. The one-story cottages, and other unique architectural forms give Union Hill a quality all its own.

The early history of Union Hill is closely tied to (Colonel) Richard Adams (1726-1800) and his descendants. In 1761, shortly after arriving in Richmond, Richard Adams purchased 831 acres from William Byrd Ill. Later, in 1769 he acquired ten lots in Church Hill from Isaac Coles. Colonel Richard Adams believed that the future of Richmond lay to the east, and he acquired enormous tracts of land, not only within the city limits but on the northeast end of what we now call Church Hill, on Union Hill, and in the valley, which was then called Adams Valley. He had mills and various other business enterprises. So extensive were the Adams holdings that the estate of Richard Adams II (son of Col. Richard Adams I) was estimated to be worth $1,200.000 even in the low ebb of real estate in 1821.

In 1805, John Adams (son of Col. Richard Adams I) and Benjamin Mosby laid out lots for development along the stage wach road to Williamsburg. As early as 1817, the coach road had been named for Abraham B. Venable. Venable, former Senator, and first president of the Bank of Virginia perished in the theater fire of 1811. Venable owned a large tract of land on the north side of the road between 18th and 21st streets.

Along with 25th Street, Venable was the only thoroughfare that provided access to the heights east of Shockoe Valley, where it connected to Nine Mile Road and eventually with the road to Williamsburg. Scattered development took place at the base of Venable Street and along the heights overlooking Adam’s valley.

The earliest known house on Union Hill was that of Henry Mettert. Mettert built his house at the corner of Venable and 18Ih streets, sometime between 1805 and 1810. Following the angle of the intersection, the two-story brick dwelling formed an obtuse angle. “Early plats show its odd shape, and also that east of it were a well, a pond, and the wooden tannery of Henry Mettert, who lived long in the house, and operated the Adams’ Valley Tannery.”‘ The Mettert House was demolished in the 1940s.

Around 1813, Joshua Doing built his two-story brick home on the eminence that is now Jefferson Park and was then known as Doing’s hill. A two- story brick kitchen was attached to the rear of the house and in the yard were a brick smokehouse and a brick stable. The house was demolished long before the city purchased the land in 1887 for a park.

George Howard built his house at 2224 Venable Street between 1817 and 1819. A frame wing and Greek Revival porches were added in the 1840s. Scott described the Howard House as “extraordinarily harmonious. When George Howard died in 1860 he left the house and a large parcel of land on Venable Street to his eight children. The house remained in the Howard family until it was demolished in 1930.

The only building to survive on Union Hill from this early phase of development is the Adam Miller house, built at 2410 Venable Street in 1824. It is a two-story Flemish-bond brick dwelling set on a raised foundation. The house has a single pile, side hall plan. A two room, two-story addition was made to the north side of the house in the 1830s. When the house burned in the 1870s, a shed roof and a bracketed cornice replaced the stepped gable. Miller, who listed his occupation as farmer on the 1830 census, owned the entire block where his house sat and two additional blocks to the northwest. Early plats show a small frame kitchen located in the yard to the northeast of the house. It was typical for a house of this era to be situated on a large lot and surrounded by out buildings.

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Development in the Nineteenth Century

The Antebellum Period witnessed tremendous expansion in the city of Richmond and on Union Hill. A few large houses were built on Striker’s Hill overlooking Shockoe Valley but the majority of the dwellings were modest homes for workers. Union Hill was both an economically and racially mixed neighborhood. As a result of Richmond’s increased industrialization, the practice of boarding out increased in the 1850s and slaves moved into free black neighborhoods. Many of Union Hill’s early residents were also German-born immigrants.

Many of Union Hill’s more affluent residents built investment properties on the hill to accommodate the growing number of working class residents. Hiram Oliver was one of the earliest and most prolific investor builders. Oliver, a wealthy tobacconist, “put up small houses to rent here and there in Shed Town, on Union and Church hills. No two of them are alike, and most of them are attractive.” Among the houses attributed to Hiram Oliver on Union Hill are 701 and 703 North 23d Street, 2105 and 2202 to 2212 M Street. The dwellings at 2202 and 2204-2206 M Street have been demolished since 1990, and 2105 has been fairly drastically reconfigured.

In 1820, Richmond had a population of 12,067. By 1860, the city’s population had grown to 37,910 and Richmond had become the third most affluent city in the nation. The city’s prosperity and growth was lead by three industries – tobacco, flour and iron. By 1835, the city’s industrial growth resulted in a demand for housing both by the factory owner and the worker. During this period it became profitable for the heirs of Richard Adams II to subdivide and sell their holdings on Union Hill.

Most of the new houses were the modest dwellings for the working class – tailors, tanners, butchers, coach makers, teamsters, mechanics, painters, and carpenters. Union Hill’s more affluent residents such as “Elijah Baker, Frederick Brauer, George W. Barker, Joseph Augustine, Robert Alvis, Daniel von Groning and Jesse Talbott” built many houses as investments. Nearly eighty buildings from this period still stand on Union Hill. An equal number have disappeared in the past few decades.

The history of Union Station Methodist Church in many ways parallels the development of Union Hill. Around 1835, two young men who were studying for the ministry began to hold services at various locations on Union Hill. The congregation continued to grow and in 1844 a lot was purchased on North 25th Street between N and O streets. By 1854, the congregation had swelled to 300 and a lot was purchased for a new building at the corner of 24th and N streets.

The 1844 chapel, renamed Asbury Chapel, was turned over to the slaves and free-blacks who had worshiped with the congregation since the founding of the church. The new Union Station building was designed by Samuel Freeman and built by T.Wiley Davis. Samuel Freeman and his brother, John, were among the city’s earliest builder-architects. The designs of Old First Baptist and Centenary have been attributed to Samuel, as well as several major industrial buildings including the William H. Grant Tobacco Factory and the Yarbrough-Pohlig Factory.

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After the Civil War

By 1867, the population of Union Hill had grown to such a degree the area was annexed into the city. As the population of Union Hill grew, so did the number of commercial and religious institutions within the community. However, the ravine that ran diagonally along the southern edge of Union Hill still physically isolated the neighborhood from the city.

In 1882, the great divide at the southern edge of Union Hill was filled and graded to create Church Hill Avenue (renamed Jefferson Avenue in 1905). In 1887, the City purchased Doing’s Hill for a park. Marshall Park was enlarged at the turn of the century and renamed Jefferson Park. In 1888, the Sprague Electric Railway Motor Company designated Jefferson Avenue as a trolley route. This decision made commuting more feasible for existing residents and made the neighborhood more attractive to potential inhabitants.

In addition to the construction of new dwellings on Union Hill this new found accessibility also resulted in the erection of churches, businesses and industries in the neighborhood to serve the inhabitants. Much of the residential construction was of a speculative nature to satisfy the growing demand for housing. Building fund associations and individual investors were active on Union Hill.

R. P. Boze has been identified as the builder developer of 2009-2019 Venable Street. A group of investment houses built between 1907 and 1908 in the 2000 and 2100 blocks of M Street are noteworthy because they have been attributed to the architect D. Wiley Anderson and his partner lsaac T. Skinner, including the Queen Anne-style frame double houses at 2003-2005 and 2103 M Street and the Late Victorian style houses at 2108-2110 and 2112- 2114 M Street.

E. S. Hitchcock has been identified as the contractor/builder of these four houses and 537 Mosby Street. The Colonial Revival-style apartments at 2304-2308 M Street and the Queen Anne-style house at 1916 and 1918- 1920 Princess Anne Avenue have been attributed to lsaac W. Throckmorton, architect. C. E. Hayward and George A. Dietrich were the builders for the houses on Princess Anne. Other builders that have been identified are J. W. Atkinson, Walter Douglas, George Skelton, and James Fox and Sons.

Three churches were constructed on Union Hill during this period of Reconstruction and Growth. In 1884, after two disastrous fires that nearly ended Christ Episcopal Church’s existence, a new Romanesque Revival-style building was erected at 2120 Venable Street.

Venable Street Baptist Church was built at 2101 Venable Street in 1891. The congregation began as a mission church in 1871 at 17th and Venable Streets. The new church was designed by M. J. Dimmock and built by D. Wiley Davis.

By 1893, Union Station Methodist Church was again seeking larger quarters. Instead of moving to a new location the congregation opted to demolish the 1854 church and build new on the same site. The new Gothic Revival-style building has been attributed to Walter R. Higham. Higham was trained as an architect in his native England and came to Richmond to supervise the construction of the Richmond Masonic Temple.

In 1879, Charles H. Hasker began manufacturing paper tags, labels and show cards in the woodshed behind his residence at 2312 N Street. The business grew rapidly and in 1885 he began manufacturing tin tags and impression plates for embossing plug tobacco in a two-story brick building erected at 810 North 24th Street. In 1890, he erected a four-story L-plan brick factory on Venable Street.

One year later, Hasker became partners with Alexander J. Marcuse and sons. The new partnership added the manufacture of plain and decorated tin boxes and tin signs to their business. The company employed 175 persons by 1893 and many were Union Hill residents. “Among these employees are a number of female help and also some of the best skilled mechanics and artists in the United States – designers, lithographers, engravers on stone, wood and steel, and die and tool makers, etc.&”

The building was expanded in 1900 and 1915. American Can Company acquired the factory in 1901 and continued in operation until 1951. Demand for the specialized products of the factory had ceased, and the sophisticated machinery was not adaptable for other uses, and the factory was sold to be used as a warehouse. The property has since been renovated as housing for the elderly and disabled.

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The Twentieth Century

Little residential development took place on Union Hill during this period as the neighborhood was substantially built out. The City Circle of the Baptist Woman’s Missionary Union constructed the House of Happiness, a community center, in 1923. It was the only public building erected on Union Hill during this period.

The 1920s and 1930s did however see a growing number of commercial enterprises added to the fabric of Union Hill especially along Venable and 25th streets. A major trend was the conversion of residential buildings to commercial establishments. Thomas N. Curd established a drug store at the corner of 21st and Venable streets around 1910 and maintained his residence upstairs, similar to the arrangement of Elijah Baker in the 1850s. Around 1925, the Perkinson residence at 2007 Venable Street became Pendleton and Company, a purveyor of drygoods. Beverly R. Warriner converted the J. D. Whitehurst residence at 823 Noth 24th Street to a grocery store around 1932. Waniner also lived at this address.

The Late Victorian dwelling at the corner of Venable and Mosby streets became the Baker’s Inn Confectionery in 1932. The Great A&P Tea Company occupied the first floor of 2025 Venable Street from 1923 to 1945. Mrs. M. E. Warren and her family (owners of the property) continued to occupy the second floor as they had done since 1906.

New commercial buildings were also built during this period. Unique among these establishments was Perkinson’s Quality Ice Cream. In 1932, Perkinson built a small factory at 815 North 22nd Street and converted the residence at 2201 Venable Street to a retail outlet.

Service stations were the most prolific of these new businesses, all of which were built in 1931. The Continental Oil Company filling station occupies the northeast corner of Venable and Mosby streets. The Fairmount Service Station was built at 2242 Venable Street and the Park View Service Station occupied the building at 2202 Jefferson Avenue (now Alamo BBQ).

In the late 1930s and early 1940s. Union Hill and adjacent neighborhoods underwent both an economic and a demographic transformation. While always a working class neighborhood, Union Hill became impoverished and neglected.

By the 1980s, the building stock in the neighborhood was showing signs of decline and many houses were vacant and boarded-up. In 2000, the City of Richmond launched a new program called Neighborhoods in Bloom to provide funding for construction of new houses or rehabilitation of existing ones in six city neighborhoods, including Church Hill (which, for this program, is defined as including part of Union Hill).

The Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods has been instrumental in finding renovators that have saved a number of houses in Union Hill over the past few years, including renovations on 24th Street, M Street, and Venable Street. Better Housing Coalition has built a number compatible new houses on 23rd, 24th, Pink, and Carrington Streets, and private developers have picked up and fixed up many vacant houses over the past few years.

Union Hill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. On Monday, November 23, 2009, City Council will be considering adding Union Hill to the list of the city’s Old and Historic Districts.

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Maps of the Union Hill Historic District

The first map indicates the boundaries of the Union Hill Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. The second map indicates the boundaries of the proposed Union Hill Old & Historic District, a Richmond-specific designation to be voted on Monday evening at the City Council meeting .

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Credit and Sources & More

The text above is almost entirely sourced from the the registration form from the Church Hill North application to the National Register of Historic Places (PDF). The original document, dated August 2001, was put together by Kim Chen and includes much more more than is shown here. Check out the original form to learn more about the Union Hill Historic District, or read up on any of the other sites in Richmond that are listed on the National Register.

The map at the top is a detail from the city’s Richmond Districts and Sites on the National Register (PDF). The 2nd map is sourced from the city as well. Other embedded maps link to their sources or are from the author’s personal collection.

All photos are by John Murden unless otherwise noted. Photos of 801 North 24th Street via Richmond City Watch, Bill Conkle, and Madge Goodrich via the Library of Virginia. Blight in the 1980s photos are from the Virginia Film Office. Photos of Venable&Tulip and 2121 Venable Street are from the Built in America collection, part of the American Memory from the Library of Congress. Photo of 705 North 23rd Street by taberandrew. 2101 & 2025 Venable Street and 513 Mosby Street are the Richmond Esthetic Survey via Library of Virginia. “Trolley on Jefferson Avenue” is from an unknown source. Jefferson Park postcard is from VCU’s Rarely Seen Richmond.

Previous neighborhood profiles in the series:

• The Oakwood-Chimborazo Historic District
• The Fairmount Historic District
• The Church Hill North Historic District
• The Highland Park Plaza Historic District
• A history of the Chestnut Hill/Plateau Historic District

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On the agenda for Monday’s City Council meeting:: Ord.No.2009-203 (PDF) -To amend the Code *** to establish the Union Hill Old and Historic District.

Inspired by the Richmond Slumlord Watch post on the city’s Vacant Property Registry, I started digging around the ownership of some vacants near by. I quickly ran across variations of the same name: some sort of investment group and “c/o Stacy Martin”.

Searching the city’s Parcel Mapper by name then turned up that both Premier Investment Properties Llc C/o Stacy Martin and Clayton Investment Group Llc C/o Stacy Martin each own over 50 houses across the city, many of them vacant. Stacy Martin also turns up on Tower Building Properties Llc C/o Stacy Martin, who own more than 30 houses across the city.

To state this directly: collectively these 3 companies c/o Stacy Martin own ~140 houses, 90+ of which are vacant, most of them in the East End.

As RSW points out, Stacy Martin is a real estate agent at West End real estate firm Hermitage Realty, Donald Lacey’s firm. Donald Lacey, you might recall, took a buch of invester money to fix up houses but instead apparently burned through millions on vacation homes, boats, and expensive cars.

Here is where it starts to feel kind of personal and a touch wicked: these companies own at least 15 vacant houses within 4 blocks of my house, including one directly behind me. They own 3 on the 2300 block of Fairmount Avenue and another in the 2200 block. They own 3 more vacants on the 1200 block of 24th Street and one each in the 1110 and 1300 blocks. The own vacants on the 1200 and 1300 blocks of 22nd Street and the 1300 block of 21st Street. None of these house are being renovated.

None of the houses are apparently for sale. Few if any have seen improvement in the past 5 years other than the boards that went up over the windows. These century-old frame houses are let to sit and age and slowly degrade.

These companies, together with the notorious Bayou Properties, easily own 80% of the vanant houses in almost a half-mile radius of my house. These 3 companies c/o Stacy Martin are the anti-BHC, if you will, single-handedly stalling any progress towards rebuilding the physical fabric of the community.

Unlike Lawrence Oliver’s Bayou Properties, these investment groups at least seem to have a handle on how to keep up with the basic maintence on the properties. None are outrageously overgrown, none are strewn with trash or appear to be the center of illicit activity. They are, though, dead spots in a neighborhood fighting to fight the good fight to reverse decades of decline and abandonment.

Beyond this pocket of vacancies in Fairmount, these three companies own almost 100 properties in the East End (many of which are vacant, of course).

Each marker on the map below represents a property owned by one of the 3 companies connected to Stacy Martin. Zoom in and scroll around to get the full effect or check out the big map

The yellow houses above are the vacants in Fairmount that initially caught my attention. The blue markers indicate properties in the East End listed to Premier Investment Properties Llc C/o Stacy Martin. The green markers indicate properties in the East End listed to Clayton Investment Group Llc C/o Stacy Martin. The red markers indicate properties in the East End listed to Tower Building Properties Llc C/o Stacy Martin.

The November Update from the Department of Community Development includes a recap of the Church Hill Zoning Meeting from a few weeks back:

DCD staff held a neighborhood meeting with Church Hill residents on October 22 to discuss possible zoning changes in response to the land use recommendations that residents shared with staff in July. This was the latest in a series of meeting that have been taking place since November of 2007.

Working closely with the community, staff has developed a plan that will rezone the Church Hill area and attempts to balance neighborhood interests. The plan honors existing commercial corridors and creates zoning districts of primarily low-density residential development, but also permits the flexibility to allow additional density and commercial uses in select areas. The plan would also apply a parking exempt overlay to the commercial districts in an effort to attract more businesses to the community.

Residents were generally pleased with the plan and the process will move forward over the coming months. Notice will be sent to affected property owners when the Planning Commission and City Council public hearings are scheduled.

• Proposed rezoning map (PDF)
• Description of R-8 Urban Residential zoning – Revised draft 10-1-09