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Richmond (1961)

12 comments

Elaine Odell 04/20/2014 at 9:19 AM

Could these have been houses that once stood along Cedar Street? The photograph could have been made from the hilltop of Jefferson Park, looking west toward the city.

Also, there was a village of homes in what is now called Shockoe Valley–just down the hill from MCV. The residents of that community called it something else.

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Bill Hartsock 04/20/2014 at 10:43 AM

From the angle of the photo in relation to the Marshall St. viaduct and the MCV buildings I would say those houses were on upper 17th St. The area in Shockoe Valley where these were was called Butchertown.

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Clayton 04/20/2014 at 11:14 AM

Nope. Definitely in Manchester. You can clearly see city hall and the west hospital. The way they are oriented towards each other means this is taken from across the James River.

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Bill Hartsock 04/20/2014 at 12:16 PM

If you look closely, in the middle of the buildings is the Egyptian Building, on the MCV campus, just below West Hospital. City Hall wasn’t around in 1961. It was built in 1971. Just above the houses is the ramp off of I-95 going to Broad St.

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MHB 04/20/2014 at 1:10 PM

Isn’t that the back of the White House of the Confederacy? I don’t think that could be seen from Manchester.

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Cadeho 04/20/2014 at 2:29 PM

It’s these houses… they’re on Buchanan St, now N. 18th.
http://s32.photobucket.com/user/RVamaps/media/BuchananSt.jpg.html

Notice the gaps between the houses. Also on Sanborn maps, yellow was wooden and red was brick.

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katzenjaammer 04/20/2014 at 9:11 PM

Slightly off-topic, but I found this story through the RTD Archives Blog. I had heard parts of this story before, but never got to hear the whole thing til now…

http://rvanews.com/richmond-salvador-dali-statue-folly/46807

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Next Friend 04/21/2014 at 9:23 AM

You can see the façade of the Egyptian Building so this is definitely not Manchester – this is likely along Mosby St. or 18th, possibly even where Jefferson Townhouses are now, or even MLK. None of those tall buildings are new City Hall. They are still-existing buildings that no longer have the architectural outcroppings at the top.

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