A letter was sent out this week to Fairmount-area property owners to announce that the city has contracted to undertake a “historic resource survey” of the area on February 7 and 8.
The letter, from T.Tyler Potterfield of the Historic Preservation Division, goes on to say that:
The project requires photographing each building, preparing a site plan of each building, and noting historic features and exterior materials.This work will all be completed from the sidewalks, streets, and alleys in the public right-of-way.
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The results of the survey will be used to choose determine (sic) the final boundaries of a historic district that will be nominated to the National Register of Historic Places.
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A public meeting will be held on Tuesday February 27, 2007, at 7:00PM in the Richmond East District Initiative, 1st Floor Conference Room located at 701 North 25th Street, to seek the input and answer the questions of residents, owners, and other interested individuals regarding this project.
4 comments
How very exciting!
Sorry to piggyback on such an old post that will disappear again after a couple more post behind this.
Does anyone know when the Fairfield Race Course (horse racing) opened and closed? I know it existed at least in the year 1800 and was still in operation prior to the Civil War but doubtful afterward. The property was eventually purchased by someone named Peter Paul… hence the neighborhood named that where the track once stood.
Thanks!
Eric
As suspected, this post was buried almost immediately and took me a couple minutes to search for it again. I am still in need of help with the question though… Fairmount historians out there, thanks!
I have seen since that there is a debate as to who had the “first” horse race tracks in America… New York or right here in Henrico? There are mentions as far back as 1674 but, doubt that was the “race course” since early racing was basically the equivalent of a automobile street drag race. I suspect that Fairfield was started sometime in the 1780s or earlier per a book reference but… does anyone have a clue?
Thanks.