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Site work gets underway at Richmond High School for the Arts in South Side. A groundbreak- ing ceremony for the new school took place last July. With 2026 its estimated completion date, the new school will cost $154.6 million and house 1,800 students, the Richmond Free Press reported earlier this year.

Site work gets underway at Richmond High School for the Arts in South Side. A groundbreak- ing ceremony for the new school took place last …

Published on November 2, 2023

Richmond Department of Public Works crews have been busy since Feb. 25 replacing street signs along U.S. 1 formerly named for Confederate Jefferson Davis with the new name, Richmond Highway. City Council voted last summer to change its name. Officials said it will take about a month to replace about 98 signs. The cost: $45,000.

Richmond Department of Public Works crews have been busy since Feb. 25 replacing street signs along U.S. 1 formerly named for Confederate Jefferson Davis with …

Published on March 4, 2021

This barrier now detours traffic from Fairmount Avenue, one block from the avenue’s intersection with 25th Street, Nine Mile Road and S Street. There, heavy equipment is digging up asphalt to create a new roundabout that will replace traffic lights at the busy intersection. Simons Contracting was awarded a $784,500 contract for the work that will disrupt traffic for three months. Total project cost: $1.2 million.

This barrier now detours traffic from Fairmount Avenue, one block from the avenue’s intersection with 25th Street, Nine Mile Road and S Street. There, heavy …

Published on March 26, 2015

Ashley Williams, with her dog, Sebastian, a pit bull-spaniel mix, on the front porch of her East End home, is happy to stay in during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her family, she says, has experienced health scares in recent weeks, both related and unrelated to the coronavirus. “I have always valued family and friends, yet the communication with loved ones is even more cherished than before,” said the founder of BareSOUL Yoga. The experience also has shifted how she connects with people and the community — through online offerings and resources. The silver lining? “I am able to appreciate, explore and enjoy my home.”

Ashley Williams, with her dog, Sebastian, a pit bull-spaniel mix, on the front porch of her East End home, is happy to stay in during …

Published on April 30, 2020

View of former Philip Morris tobacco plant that Richmond Public Schools and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College hope to turn into a new technical school for students to train in fields ranging from auto mechanics to construction and advanced manufacturing. Altria donated the vacant plant at 2325 Maury St. three years ago to RPS, which could not afford the potential $40 million renovation cost. Reynolds is looking to gain state support for the project.

View of former Philip Morris tobacco plant that Richmond Public Schools and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College hope to turn into a new technical school …

Published on March 19, 2020

This is the new look of Richmond’s Farmers’ Market on 17th Street in Shockoe Bottom. Most of the green-topped sheds, fixtures since 1986, are gone, creating a more open space for public events. The remaining sheds allow the 236-year-old market to remain in operation. The shed removal, which cost about $88,000, is the first step in a planned $2.5 million facelift for the market, including the installation of promenades and new landscaping. This photo was taken a few days before the start of the UCI Road World Championships.

This is the new look of Richmond’s Farmers’ Market on 17th Street in Shockoe Bottom. Most of the green-topped sheds, fixtures since 1986, are gone, …

Published on September 25, 2015

This ugly scene shows all that remains of fire-ravaged playground equipment. Location: Fairfield Court Elementary School in the East End. The $120,000 in swings, slides and other equipment was torched Friday, depriving neighborhood children of a popular play space. Believe it or not, this is the ninth case of arson of school playground equipment in Richmond in just the past two years. Replacements have cost more than $1 million, with the school system having to pay $50,000 on each for insurance deductibles. In a few cases, private donors have contributed. No one can understand why this equipment is being targeted.

This ugly scene shows all that remains of fire-ravaged playground equipment. Location: Fairfield Court Elementary School in the East End. The $120,000 in swings, slides …

Published on August 28, 2014

Nitika and Joshua Achalam may be staying home, but they are staying busy. They are outside their home in Fulton with their chickens, Octavia Butler and Zora Neale Hurston. Asked how their lives are different during the pandemic, Mrs. Achalam, executive director of Project Yoga Richmond and an herbal healer with True Grit Botanica, said, “We’ve launched an online membership platform where the community can remotely access yoga and mindfulness content from PYR ambassadors.” Mr. Achalam, a reggae artist and educator, said, “Shows are postponed. But we’ll regroup and spend more time in the studio.” On April 4, he performed in “Couchella,” a digital music festival that helped raise money for the Makindu Children’s Center in Kenya. The money will help install hand-washing stations at the center to combat the spread of COVID-19. Asked about the silver lining, both say the crisis has caused them to slow down and concentrate on the health and well-being of themselves and family.

Nitika and Joshua Achalam may be staying home, but they are staying busy. They are outside their home in Fulton with their chickens, Octavia Butler …

Published on April 16, 2020

Plans in 2016 had called for the old building to be converted into a commercial space, possibly for use by the city Department of Public Utilities. In 2019, DPU nixed the idea because of the cost of removing asbestos and other contaminants from the 11-acre site. The demolition has been in the works since July 2020. The site was best known for an iconic 60-foot-tall metal work called a gasometer that surrounded the empty, below-ground storage tanks. The gasometer has been carefully removed and could later be reinstalled as a piece of public art. More than $4.3 million has been invested to clear the old structures and remove contaminated soil from the property, which is envisioned as an East End development site.

Plans in 2016 had called for the old building to be converted into a commercial space, possibly for use by the city Department of Public …

Published on February 24, 2022

A key element of Richmond’s drinking water supply system is undergoing about $54 million in major improvements. These photos document the construction underway at the historic Byrd Park Reservoir that first went into service 145 years ago to supply water to the city and surrounding counties. The purpose of the work: To keep the 55 million-gallon storage facility functional. The city Department of Public Utilities is projecting to spend $60 million to cover all costs, about $7 million more than anticipated when the project was first envisioned four years ago. So far, about $4.7 million has been spent on inspections, planning and design, DPU has reported. Opened in 1876, the reservoir is located on the east side of Blanton Avenue and is bounded by Grant Street and Police Memorial Way.

A key element of Richmond’s drinking water supply system is undergoing about $54 million in major improvements. These photos document the construction underway at the …

Published on January 6, 2022

A “Now Leasing” sign adorns an entry to the Church Hill North development on North 31st Street off Nine Mile Road in the city’s East End. While no announce- ment has been made, the sign signals that the yearlong construction on the first phase of new apartments is coming to a close. The development was undertaken by The Community Builders of Boston in partner- ship with the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority. The site is the former home of Armstrong High School, which was torn down to make way for the new residences. The first phase was announced on Oct. 30, 2018, when work began to include 60 family units and 45 apartments for seniors at a cost of about $26 million. Work on another 70 units was begun earlier this year, and those units are in various stages of completion. The total development is to include 256 units, including a few single-family homes. The project is the first step in the overhaul of the nearby Creighton Court public housing community. Some Creighton Court residents are to be moved to Church Hill North as planning for renovation or replacement of the 504-unit Creighton Court complex continues.

A “Now Leasing” sign adorns an entry to the Church Hill North development on North 31st Street off Nine Mile Road in the city’s East …

Published on December 20, 2019

Cityscape //These scenes show examples of the impact of the June 16 storm that hammered Richmond and Henrico County and knocked out power to nearly 120,000 homes and businesses in the two localities. Left, Laurie Petersen photographs a tree split during the raging winds at Monument and Roseneath avenues in the West End. Right, Brad Spangler takes a closer look at a car crushed under trees felled by the storm that packed 70 mph winds and dropped 1.6 inches of rain. Location: Seminary and Claremont avenues in North Side. Richmond area damage estimates ranged from $2 million to $5 million, including $770,000 in damage to 10 Richmond school buildings. Officials said all but $100,000 of the schools damage would be covered by insurance. Dominion brought in hundreds of workers, who helped restore power by late Monday. Fifty crews from the City of Richmond, meanwhile, cleared fallen trees blocking 156 streets and removed 700 tons of tree debris through Tuesday. As of Tuesday night, Byrd Park, Battery Park Pool and Bryan Park had yet to reopen. The city and Henrico County are offering to haul away tree limbs from residents’ property. In the city, residents can place limbs and brush near the curb or alley for pickup. County residents must register for service at (804) 501-4275 or online at www.henrico.us/services/storm-debris-pickup. The county’s deadline to sign up is Friday, June 24.     

Cityscape //These scenes show examples of the impact of the June 16 storm that hammered Richmond and Henrico County and knocked out power to nearly …

Published on June 24, 2016

Multiple construction projects are underway at the Virginia War Memorial Carillon in Richmond. In 2016, Elizabeth L. O’Leary of the Carillon Civic Association described the historic monument: Rising a lofty 240 feet in the heart of Richmond’s William Byrd Park stands the Virginia War Memorial Carillon — the Commonwealth’s official monument to the approximately 3,700 men and women from the state who died as a result of World War I. The Georgian-revival tower houses a massive musical instrument made up of 53 fixed bronze bells of varying sizes, still played today by a carillonneur who strikes a pedal keyboard just below the bell chamber. Dedicated on October 15, 1932 — 14 years after the end of the Great War — the Carillon opened amidst a swirl of patriotic fervor and controversy. Its original design, commissioned several years earlier by the Virginia General Assembly from celebrated Philadelphia architect Paul Cret, called for a sleek classicized temple. Shortly after ground breaking, a citizen’s committee waged a successful popular campaign to build a carillon instead. Building the more expensive “singing tower” — a brick encased steel frame that originally supported the heavy bells cast by John Taylor & Co. of Loughborough, England — required additional fundraising to achieve the final cost of $325,000.

Multiple construction projects are underway at the Virginia War Memorial Carillon in Richmond. In 2016, Elizabeth L. O’Leary of the Carillon Civic Association described the …

Published on April 27, 2023

This dramatic and decorative street mural now fills the intersection at Mar- shall Street and Brook Road in Jackson Ward. The work, painted in the red, black and green colors of the Pan-African flag, stands in front of Gallery 5, an award-winning art space housed in a historic 1849 building that served as the city’s first firehouse and police station. Venture Richmond and the city’s Public Art Commission teamed with art spaces and businesses to develop the place-making project that was supported in part by a $25,000 grant from Bloomberg Philanthro- pies’ Asphalt Art Initiative. The project, which cost a total of $40,000, produced a new brick plaza and bike rack in front of Gallery 5. Artist Chris Visions created the mural painted by youth participants at ART 180, a nonprofit center of youth creativity based at 114 W. Marshall St. The central figure is Sankofa, a symbol and word of the Akan people of Ghana meaning “to retrieve.” The symbol is being used as a salute to Jackson Ward’s history as the once proud center of Black business, entertainment and culture. The mural also is connected to a custom-designed parklet that fills two parking spaces in front of ART 180. The parklet, not pictured here, is one of five the city has sought to install to promote community and businesses. The initiative came together this year as part of marking the 150th anniversary of the city’s creation of Jackson Ward in 1871. At the time, it was a gerrymandered political district for Black voters. Venture Richmond credited the two art groups, Big Secret, Walter Parks Architects, CB Chandler Construction, Cite Design, Richmond Toolbank and Vanderbilt Properties with helping create the space.

This dramatic and decorative street mural now fills the intersection at Mar- shall Street and Brook Road in Jackson Ward. The work, painted in the …

Published on December 30, 2021

The Virginia Department of Transportation continues its bridge rehabilitation project at 1st Street over Interstate 95 in Jackson Ward. This section of 1st Street will see new sidewalks, travel lanes and shoulders. The department plans to rehabilitate five bridges over I-95 in Richmond. Structure replacements and minor substructure repairs will be done on bridges on North 1st Street, North 4th Street, North 5th Street, North 7th Street and the East Broad Street overpasses.

The Virginia Department of Transportation continues its bridge rehabilitation project at 1st Street over Interstate 95 in Jackson Ward. This section of 1st Street will …

Published on April 6, 2023

Sunset over The Carillon in the West End

Sunset over The Carillon in the West End

Published on May 8, 2015

Broad winged hawk over North Side

Broad winged hawk over North Side

Published on September 1, 2022

Setting sun over the James in Charles City

Setting sun over the James in Charles City

Published on January 4, 2024

Sunset over the James River Downtown (Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press)

Sunset over the James River Downtown (Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press)

Published on October 18, 2019

James McGee and his sister, Jazlyn, check out Christopher the Clown, who towered over the crowd as he entertained them.

James McGee and his sister, Jazlyn, check out Christopher the Clown, who towered over the crowd as he entertained them.

Published on April 9, 2015