{ if(window.Osano?.cm?.getConsent().ANALYTICS === ‘ACCEPT’){ if (window.TRINITY_PLAYER && TRINITY_PLAYER.players[‘article-body-defc34ee-55bf-11ef-87e2-63641296114a’]) { TRINITY_PLAYER.api.createPlayer(‘article-body-defc34ee-55bf-11ef-87e2-63641296114a’); } else { let id = ‘2900013015’; if(__tnt?.ads?.dfp?.af || window.Osano?.cm?.getConsent().MARKETING != ‘ACCEPT’) id = ‘2900017379’; const text = encodeURIComponent(btoa(‘#article-body’)); var js = document.createElement(‘script’); js.setAttribute(‘data-player-id’, ‘article-body-defc34ee-55bf-11ef-87e2-63641296114a’); js.src = `https://trinitymedia.ai/player/trinity/${id}/?pageURL=https://richmond.com/news/local/business/real-estate/vuu-community-hospital-preservation/article_defc34ee-55bf-11ef-87e2-63641296114a.htmlpoweredBy&partner=Flex&textSelector=${text}&FAB=1`; document.body.appendChild(js); } } else { document.getElementById(‘lee-trinity-player’).style.display=’none’; } })(); ]]>
Virginia Union University intends to preserve the outer wall of the old Richmond Community Hospital, an effort to settle a monthslong debate about the abandoned hospital’s future.
In February, the university announced plans to redevelop the hospital and other space for a housing development.
But the university faced a backlash, as preservationists mounted a campaign to save the hospital, which opened in Jackson Ward in 1907 as the city’s first Black-owned hospital. During segregation, it was one of few health care destinations for Black residents.
People are also reading…
Under VUU’s new plan announced on Thursday, the hospital’s Art Deco façade, 1932 cornerstone and sign will be preserved.
Virginia Union University plans to build a 123-unit residential building while preserving some of the old Richmond Community Hospital, which can be seen on the left side.
Virginia Union University
In February, the university announced it would partner with a New York-based investor called the Steinbridge Group to redevelop the northern portion of VUU’s campus. Steinbridge said it would commit $40 million to the project.
The university and the firm would become joint owners of the land and share the profits. The project is intended to create more affordable housing, something officials say the city needs badly.
Standing in the way of the redevelopment was Richmond Community Hospital.
The hospital moved to a two-story brick building near the VUU campus on Overbrook Road in the 1930s and to its current location in Church Hill in 1980.
Although the building has been vacant for some time, residents called for it to be saved. They started a Facebook group and began visiting the site regularly.
“Learn from the past,” wrote Viola Baskerville, a former Richmond City Council member. “Do not destroy it.”
The back of the residential building will maintain Richmond Community Hospital’s Art Deco style. Bricks from the hospital will be used in the new building.
Virginia Union University
According to images released by the university, the new building will have six floors and 123 housing units.
Another five-story building, at the intersection of Brook and Overbrook roads, called the Gateway North Redevelopment, will have 80 one-bedroom apartments, 20 two-bedroom apartments, 10,000 square feet of commercial space and 50 parking spaces.
In addition to preserving the outer wall, VUU intends to name new structures and green spaces for prominent Black medical professionals, including Sarah Garland Jones, who was the first Black person and first woman to earn a medical license in Virginia.
Inside the building, VUU will commemorate the hospital and its legacy, the university said. The school’s Center for African American History and Culture is collecting stories and memories from the hospital and is asking the public for contributions.
Bricks from the hospital will be repurposed throughout the new building. The commemoration represents a roughly $5 million commitment by Steinbridge to honor everyone who was born, received care or worked at the hospital.
A schematic shows where a portion of the old hospital will be preserved.
Virginia Union University
Most old buildings can be preserved if the owner can afford to do the work, a preservation expert said in March. Although the roof had collapsed at Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School, workers were able to restore the building.
The state and federal governments offer tax credits that can substantially reduce an owner’s tax obligation, a system designed to incentivize preservation.
Keeping an old building’s façade is one way of keeping a piece of history while building something new. Virginia Commonwealth University kept the outer shell of the Branch Public Baths when it built the Gladding Residence Center on West Main Street.
When the state of Virginia erected a new General Assembly building on East Broad Street, it kept the façade of the Life Insurance Co. of Virginia, which was built in 1912.
A separate residential building will go up at the corner of Brook and Overbrook roads.
Virginia Union University
Top five weekend events: Richmond Jazz Festival, NASCAR & Carytown Watermelon Festival
Carytown Watermelon Festival
Sunday
Soak up summer with 80 musicians, food vendors, a giant kids’ area, sidewalk sales and tons of fresh watermelon at the Carytown Watermelon Festival. Over 115,000 people typically turn out for the event. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. From Nansemond Street to Colonial Avenue on West Cary Street. Free; pay as you go. carytownwatermelonfestival.com.
Richmond Jazz and Music Festival
Saturday & Sunday
Get your groove on at the Richmond Jazz and Music Festival at Maymont. Headliners are R&B singer and “American Idol” winner Fantasia, Grammy Award-winning rapper Ludacris and Wyclef Jean, who will serves as the festival’s artist in residence. Enjoy a bistro tent, food trucks, a marketplace with vendors and more. Gates open at 11 a.m. Maymont, 1700 Hampton St. Day passes are $169.38 and a weekend pass is $299.25. richmondjazzandmusicfestival.com
NASCAR
Saturday & Sunday
NASCAR returns to Richmond Raceway for the Craftsman Truck Series on Saturday night and the premier Cup Series on Sunday. On Saturday, the green flag will drop on the Clean Harbors 250 Truck race shortly after 7:30 p.m. The next day, the Cook Out 400 will begin just after 6 p.m. and end under the lights. Richmond Raceway Complex, 600 E. Laburnum Ave. Tickets start at $20. richmondraceway.com
Fred Armisen
Saturday
Comedian and writer Fred Armisen, most known for “Saturday Night Live,” as well as co-writing and co-starring in the series “Portlandia” and voice acting in “Big Mouth,” will stop at The National for his “Comedy For Musicians But Everyone is Welcome” tour. Doors open at 7 p.m. 708 E. Broad St. Tickets start at $30. thenationalva.com or (888) 929-7849.
JamPacked Craft Beer and Music Festival
Saturday
Enjoy a day of food, bands and brews at the JamPacked Craft Beer and Music Festival on Brown’s Island. Hear a line-up of folk and bluegrass music from Greensky Bluegrass, Kitchen Dwellers, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, Sicard Hollow, and Kind Hearted Strangers. Gates open at 2:30 p.m. Fifth and Tredegar streets. $45. etix.com
Jordan Strauss
Eric Kolenich (804) 649-6109
