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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

Cityscape // The group raised $11,880 — the poverty line for a single person — to cover the cost of the playground maps through its inaugural “Little Black Dress Initiative.” Members wore the same black dress for a week to get a little experience in the lack of choices poor people face. Other elementary schools slated to get the educational maps include Blackwell, Carver, Fairfield Court, Greene and Overby-Sheppard, said Joanne Frye, Junior League president. “These maps represent community, learning and our investment in the next generation.”

Cityscape // The group raised $11,880 — the poverty line for a single person — to cover the cost of the playground maps through its …

Published on April 13, 2017

Monroe Park is once again open to the public following the biggest facelift in its 167-year history as a public green space. The centerpiece of the park is the Checkers House, which has been remodeled to provide room for a coffee shop, modern restrooms and space for city and Virginia Commonwealth University police officers. The reopening capped a project that took 22 months and cost about $6.3 million, with about half coming from private donors. (Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press)

Monroe Park is once again open to the public following the biggest facelift in its 167-year history as a public green space. The centerpiece of …

Published on October 5, 2018

Richmond’s oldest fire station has a date with a wrecking ball after 114 years. This is Fire Station No. 12, which opened at 2223 W. Cary St. in 1908 when horses pulled the equipment to fires. Plans for replacing this historic station with a new building at the site began in earnest last year. The city has invested in design and is now reviewing construction bids that were received by the Tuesday deadline. Total cost: $9.3 million, including pre-development and construction, according to the city’s estimate. (Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press)

Richmond’s oldest fire station has a date with a wrecking ball after 114 years. This is Fire Station No. 12, which opened at 2223 W. …

Published on April 7, 2022

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

Spectators have a ringside seat last Sunday as workers use powerful machines to de- molish the parking deck of the vacant Richmond Plaza building at 7th and Cary streets in Downtown. Clearing the parking deck and building is the first step toward building the planned 20-story office space for Dominion Resources. Demolition is expected to take four months, including creating room for four levels of underground parking. The next phase of two years involves construction of a 413-foot-tall facility that is expected to cost more than $100 million to build and outfit. The new building’s opening is planned for early 2019.

Spectators have a ringside seat last Sunday as workers use powerful machines to de- molish the parking deck of the vacant Richmond Plaza building at …

Published on August 19, 2016

Helping hands/Londyn Pair, 2, gets assistance from her uncle, Jason Johnson, as she tries on her new backpack, one of the giveaways at last Saturday’s CAHN Block Party at the Manchester Medical Center in South Side. The event, sponsored by the Capital Area Health Network, or CAHN, was in celebration of National Health Center Week and featured health and wellness vendors providing information and resources to the community. CAHN, a nonprofit, operates seven low-cost health clinics in the Richmond area, including one in the medical building at 101 Cowardin Ave. (photo: Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press)

Helping hands/Londyn Pair, 2, gets assistance from her uncle, Jason Johnson, as she tries on her new backpack, one of the giveaways at last Saturday’s …

Published on August 19, 2021

Rendering by Kendall/Heaton Associates Changing the skyline Work began Monday on this 20-story, sail-shaped office tower that Dominion Resources is constructing in Downtown. The building, which is expected to have 1,000 employees and four floors of parking underground, is to open in 2019 in the block bounded by Cary, 6th, 7th and Canal streets. Dominion and the builders, Hourigan Construction Inc. of Richmond and Clayco Corp. of St. Louis, are promising that minority firms will play a significant role in the development. Dominion has hired Kenneth Johnson of the marketing and public relations firm Johnson Inc. as a diversity consultant. Dominion has yet to release the cost for the building, but it is projected to be around $100 million.

Rendering by Kendall/Heaton Associates Changing the skyline Work began Monday on this 20-story, sail-shaped office tower that Dominion Resources is constructing in Downtown. The building, …

Published on December 16, 2016

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

It’s still incomplete. But in a few months, the metal beams these men are sitting on will become a bridge that will allow Richmonders to cross the James River on bike or foot. It will be the T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge, named for a respected, but now deceased city planner. The workers are from Winchester-based Howard Shockey & Sons Inc., which is building the span that is to open in August. The pedestrian bridge will link Brown’s Island in Downtown to a recreation area on the south side of the river. Estimated cost: $11.5 million, including $9 million in city funds and $2.5 million in state funds. The bridge, which sits above the remnants of a former power company dam, is part of the city’s effort to make the riverfront more accessible.

It’s still incomplete. But in a few months, the metal beams these men are sitting on will become a bridge that will allow Richmonders to …

Published on May 27, 2016

Pitching in for Flint // Faith and civic groups, businesses and people across the Richmond region are pitching in to help the residents of Flint, Mich., whose public water has been poisoned with high levels of lead. Joining the effort, Fourth Baptist Church Pastor Emory Berry Jr., above left, and Hermon Jones load bottled water onto a truck Wednesday at the East End church to be trucked and distributed to Flint residents. Similar volunteer efforts are being conducted at several churches. Flint’s water crisis began when Michigan officials decided to temporarily switch Flint’s water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River in 2014 as a cost-saving measure. Since then, children and adults have been sickened by the water, with reports of rashes, hair loss and other illnesses.

Pitching in for Flint // Faith and civic groups, businesses and people across the Richmond region are pitching in to help the residents of Flint, …

Published on March 31, 2016

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

Cityscape // This new public sculpture, titled “Estuary,” now stands behind Fire Station No. 17 at 2211 Semmes Ave. Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones led the July 21 unveiling of the 10-foot-tall, stainless steel piece. The sculptor is Ross Caudill of Brooklyn, N.Y., who earned his master’s in fine arts at Virginia Commonwealth University. When the station was built in 2012, 1 percent of the $4.6 million construction cost was set aside to pay for public art to go with it. Mr. Caudill was paid $34,103, and another $5,000 was spent to install his work. However, his sculpture is largely invisible to people and traffic passing the station on Semmes. It is actually located outside the station property in adjacent Canoe Run Park, where it overlooks people playing and exercising. The city park is at 20th Street and Riverside Drive.

Cityscape // This new public sculpture, titled “Estuary,” now stands behind Fire Station No. 17 at 2211 Semmes Ave. Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones led …

Published on August 5, 2016

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

Cityscape // Wayne Floyd, left, and Jordan Wiles from Empire Granite work on the pedestal where the new statue of Richmond great Maggie L. Walker is to stand. The plaza at Broad and Adams streets is expected to be complete in four to six weeks. The bronze statue of Mrs. Walker “is finished,” sculptor Tony Mendez said Wednesday. It was completed two weeks ago, he said. He’s now awaiting instructions from the city about when it is to be delivered to the site. So far, City Hall has yet to announce a date for the dedication as officials work with the Mrs. Walker’s descendants on the timing. Mr. Mendez said there has been talk about holding the program on Saturday, July 15, Mrs. Walker’s birth date. This year would be the 153rd anniversary of the birth of the founder and president of the first bank to be chartered by an African-American woman. The total project cost: About $900,000.

Cityscape // Wayne Floyd, left, and Jordan Wiles from Empire Granite work on the pedestal where the new statue of Richmond great Maggie L. Walker …

Published on April 8, 2017

Standing with Bennett: Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, left, meets with alumnae of Bennett and Spelman colleges Monday evening at Fifth Baptist Church in Richmond to rally efforts to help raise $5 million by Feb. 1 to save Bennett College. Dr. Cole previously served as president of both institutions, the only two historically black women’s colleges in the nation, and was central to a video the group made Monday and posted on social media. United in sisterhood, the video calls on Spelman women and Bennett Belles to support the Greensboro, N.C., college, which may lose its accreditation if it cannot gain a more sound financial footing by the Feb. 1 deadline. The effort came together within 24 hours. “I have never witnessed black women move so quickly with one mission to make sure African-American women have the opportunity to  receive a quality education,” said Marissa Jennings, Bennett Class of 2003. Dr. Cole’s message is available online at https://vimeo.com/314049002. To donate, go to www.bennett.edu/donate. (Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press)

Standing with Bennett: Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, left, meets with alumnae of Bennett and Spelman colleges Monday evening at Fifth Baptist Church in Richmond to …

Published on February 1, 2019

Dr. Derik E. Jones, left, and Dr. Dwight C. Jones, pastors of First Baptist Church of South Richmond, get a closer look at the new bronze sculpture “Hope Empowered by the Truth” with its creator, local artist Kathleen Lowry. The 150-pound sculpture was unveiled at the Decatur Street church on Monday, the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, during a ceremony viewed online by more than 200 people. Ms. Lowry donated the piece to the church after attending the socially distanced kickoff last September of First Baptist’s yearlong 200th anniversary celebration. She said the church seemed like the perfect home for the sculpture. “It is recognition of the work you do every day to promote peace in our country,” she said during Monday’s event. “Martin Luther King knew what would be necessary — faith, hopefulness, truth-telling, courage, resilience, kindness and forgiveness. And that is what you are doing and being in the struggle for equality and peace. It is an extremely tall order.” Members of the congregation will be able to see the artwork once the church reopens for in-person worship service. The church has held virtual services because of the pandemic.

Dr. Derik E. Jones, left, and Dr. Dwight C. Jones, pastors of First Baptist Church of South Richmond, get a closer look at the new …

Published on January 21, 2021

Construction of a new Amazon facility is scheduled for completion in Henrico County’s Fairfield District this year. When the online retailer announced plans in April 2021 for its state-of-the art robotics fulfillment center on 119 acres along Richmond-Henrico Turnpike, near Richmond Raceway, Amazon and county officials said it would lead to 1,000 job opportunities. The 2.6-million-square-foot facility will be the largest building in Central Virginia, officials said. To accommodate increased traffic in the area, Richmond-Henrico Turnpike has been extended to four lanes, with a new traffic signal placed at the main entrance to the site. “Amazon has been proud to call Virginia home since 2006,” said Alicia Boler Davis, who was Amazon’s vice president of Global Customer Fulfillment at the time of the announcement. “Collectively it takes a strong workforce and local support network to serve our customers across the Commonwealth and the region. The launch of this state-of-the-art fulfillment center in Central Virginia will create more than 1,000 jobs with industry-leading pay and benefits starting on the first day of employment. I’m excited to see Virginians continue to excel at Amazon, building better and brighter futures.”

Construction of a new Amazon facility is scheduled for completion in Henrico County’s Fairfield District this year. When the online retailer announced plans in April …

Published on January 26, 2023

Dominion’s new office tower for Downtown // This rendering offers a view, left, of a new, 20-story office tower Dominion Resources is moving to develop at 6th and Cary streets. It will replace the vacant, six-story Richmond Plaza building that will be torn down. At right is a view of a potential companion building Dominion might build to replace the One James River Plaza building at 701 E. Cary St. This is the view north and west from Kanawha Plaza at 9th and Canal streets. Dominion is promising inclusion of African-American, minority and women-owned contracting businesses in the construction. Based on current building costs, Dominion is expected to invest between $100 million and $150 million in the new building. Completion is expected in 2019, when Dominion would either renovate or replace One James River Plaza. The project is being undertaken to improve Dominion’s space Downtown and to provide room for projected employment growth during the next 10 to 15 years.

Dominion’s new office tower for Downtown // This rendering offers a view, left, of a new, 20-story office tower Dominion Resources is moving to develop …

Published on May 20, 2016

A front-end loader scoops out the sediment choking the Haxall Canal in Downtown, whose waters once powered an electric plant. The work to dredge the canal from Brown’s Island to 12th Street began Jan. 15 and is expected to take four months, according to the city Department of Public Utilities, which is managing the job. Cost: $1.5 million. The water in the canal also is being drained, above, the department said, adding it is working with the state to save the fish that will be affected. The canal, which receives its water and sediment from the James River, was last cleaned in 2008. The work is needed every 10 to 15 years, according to DPU officials, to protect the equipment that controls the level of water in the canal and to improve the flow. The department briefly drained the canal last summer to conduct a survey in preparation for this work. The canal also is drained periodically to remove sediment that accumulates at the head gates, DPU officials stated. (Ava Reaves)

A front-end loader scoops out the sediment choking the Haxall Canal in Downtown, whose waters once powered an electric plant. The work to dredge the …

Published on February 8, 2019