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City taking bids to demolish Whitcomb Court Elementary School

The City of Richmond is taking bids (PDF) for the demolition of the former Whitcomb Court Elementary School at 2100 Sussex Street.

From the document:

The City of Richmond needs to abate and demolish the former Whitcomb Court Elementary School in order to prepare the site for future development. All work shall be performed in accordance with the requirements as stated in this document and in accordance with all local, state, and federal requirements.

This project consists of, but is not limited to, the demolition of the former Whitcomb Court Elementary School including all hazardous material abatement, asphalt, concrete, gravel, selected utilities, and other associated site features. The existing impervious areas areas designated for demolition will be graded and transformed into pervious area (topsoil and seeded).

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The Richmond Public Schools site has a history of the school until 1992:

This school is named for the federal housing project (Whitcomb Court) which in turn was named for the adjacent street. Whitcomb Court opened in September 1958, with Junior Primary-grade 6. A round building, occupied in January 1962, was designed with eight classrooms, each opening onto the “hub” or multi-purpose, common-use area.

Whitcomb Court was built on a landfill. In December 1975, following detection of methane gas in the immediate area, the Whitcomb Court program was relocated to Bellevue until the methane problem was corrected prior to the 1977-78 session. An air conditioning project is under way in 1992.
Under Plan III, Whitcomb Court was paired with Broad Rock.

Since 1989, Whitcomb Court has operated as a model elementary school with a site-management approach for children at risk; its theme is “building self-esteem through technology, global studies and the arts.”

The school closed in the fall of 2006.

6 comments

Cadeho 03/06/2016 at 2:04 PM

Future development? Didn’t it close because of the methane problem? It didn’t go away… and methane is still probably seeping from the ground nearby. And what could they develop right there? It was a landfill! Nearby Chelsea Village had to be demolished because it was built on a landfill and nothing can ever be built on that land. Too bad former landfills can’t be excavated and the land treated… we’ve ruined so many areas of the city that could be useful today.

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teetee1902 03/06/2016 at 2:57 PM

Does anyone know what is the city planning on building there once the school is demolished?

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JAMES E DRUMGOLD JR 01/20/2017 at 1:13 PM

Anybody find out? Yet I went there from 73-77.
Hate to see it torn down. Ill call Mr.gaye and shed some tears.lol

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Marlin Dennis 12/25/2017 at 3:47 AM

It might need to be torn down for redevelopment to occur. A standing idle building is useless unless it can be transformed into something that can benefit the community.

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Tara Brown 02/14/2023 at 11:54 PM

I used to grew up there and later about 20 years I had two boys living in Whitcomb Court. My youngest son went to Whitcomb Court Elementary for four years before moving out to the Randolph Village. In the year of 1988 on a Sunday night around 11:30 pm shots rang out and had discovered my living room window was shattered with one small cap on the floor and the other was in the wall. I asked Whitcomb Court Richmond Redevelopment and Authority for a transfer. The Randolph Place was no better after two weeks when shots rang out behind my backyard nearby church. So I was offered a townhouse apartment in Varina area a complex called the Woodlands decided to move after living there for 2 1/2 years. My life is now better than ever but my two sons are now in heaven with God. My younger son just recently had taken his own life after murdering his wife on February 5. His wife had her funeral services where she attended school and lived in Powhatan VA on February 12. My son Terrell Brown funeral services are pending. I just want to thank God for shielding me from harm’s way over the years. I just had taken one day at a time and living the good life.

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