One week after Virginia Union University announced a sudden change in its plans for the former Richmond Community Hospital building, concerns and questions remain about the historic property and the university’s role in its future.

A lawsuit filed by former Richmond City Council member Sa’ad El-Amin hours before VUU announced its changes will be amended Thursday in response to the new plans for the building.

 Sa’ad El-Amin
 

The property was initially set to be demolished with only the facade remaining, but will now be fully preserved and incorporated into a housing development planned for the area, according to university officials.

El-Amin said the amended suit will focus on the university’s and the building’s nonprofit status, challenging VUU’s intent to convert it into a profit-making asset as evidence of self-dealing and a violation of IRS regulations.

The revised plan includes using the building as a community fitness and wellness center, a choice El-Amin said still makes it part of a profit-making venture.

The suit also will now request a receivership to transfer ownership of the property from VUU for failing to maintain the building. As part of this request, VUU and the City of Richmond would be required to provide funding to “stabilize” the building, as El-Amin put it, with the city included for not enforcing housing and structural codes.

“They’ve ignored it for over 47 years and to the detriment of this historic place,” said El-Amin, who joined preservation efforts in early October after hearing from advocates such as radio host Gary Flowers and Save Community Hospital co-founder Viola Baskerville. “They cannot be trusted to maintain this historic place and give it the honor and respect that it’s required.”

Richmond Community Hospital was founded in 1907, with the building first opening in 1934 when the hospital moved to Overbrook Road. For decades, the property served as a refuge for residents of color excluded from other medical establishments and helped build and nurture the skills of generations of African American doctors.

In the decades since VUU was given the property by RCH officials, the building has visibly deteriorated, with open windows on the rear of the building, and overgrowth and broken brickwork. Photography of the interior from 2019 further highlights the damage the building has weathered.

For those who have advocated for the building’s preservation for months, VUU’s changes have further validated their efforts.

“By its statement that it will not demolish the building, Virginia Union University has admitted that the hospital is worth saving,” Baskerville said in a statement. “Virginia Union now needs to secure the structure and stabilize it from any future deterioration. This is the next crucial step that needs to be performed.”

When reached for a comment on how VUU came to its decision, and for any insight into the current state of the building and its interior, Lucas referred to the statement VUU released last week announcing the change in redevelopment.

El-Amin, for his part, saw VUU’s announcement after the lawsuit filing as evidence that they know they wouldn’t prevail in court and are attempting to get ahead of the matter. He also saw the suit as a tool for other communities to challenge HBCUs and their leadership when they commit to actions or decisions that “don’t mean them any good” for them or historic properties.

“The amended suit only expands the remedy,” El-Amin said. “You’ve got to take that property out of the hands of the bad people who let it go. This is a method of doing that.

“What we’re stressing is the uniqueness of these properties as historical, and once you knock them down, they no longer exist.”