Current News
Architecture for Everybody
If you have ever wondered what gives Richmond its special character, or how millennia-old architectural influences still influence the building practices and design of today, then this program is for you. Join famed architectural historian Calder Loth, former senior historian at the VA Department of Historic Resources and author of The Virginia Landmarks Register for a four-part architectural history series. Mr. Loth has delivered this talk in Europe and in cities elsewhere in the United States and the Alliance is pleased to bring Architecture for Everybody to Richmond residents.
Each lecture will be held at 626 East Broad Street from 7-8 pm. Parking is available on the street and in the garage at 7th and E. Marshall street, behind the building.
The dates and topics are as follows (CLICK HERE for flier with full program):
- Wednesday, Sept. 22 ~ Introduction to the Classical Language of Architecture
- Wednesday, Sept. 29 ~ Greek Classicism
- Wednesday, Oct. 6 ~ Motifs & Details
- Wednesday, Oct. 13 ~ American Traditional
Please call the Alliance at (804) 644-5040 to register for this special series! The cost is $40 for the program and $35 for members or students with ID. Pay with check made to the Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods or click on the "Donate" link above, and note that your payment is for the architecture program. (Proceeds fund Alliance educational programming.)
Alliance Renovator's Open House: Jackson Ward Rehab Story
106 1/2 East Clay Street Before and after renovation
(Click on address for a locator map.)
In 2008, a neglected residence in Jackson Ward was caught in a snare of tax liens and code violations and deteriorating from the roof to the foundation. Demolition by neglect was a looming threat to this vacant Italianate townhouse. Saving 106 1/2 East Clay Street was a cooperative effort between the City of Richmond, the Alliance, and local private developers Three Strands Management.
Please join us in celebrating this successful collaboration and the resurgent vitality of East Clay Street. Three Strands Management principals and owners Cynthia and Gray Oliver will discuss their renovation story and special guest Jim Hill of the City of Richmond's Department of Planning and Development Review will amswer questions about the city's vacant property strategy and what is possible under using the Spot Blight Abatemement strategy.
Thursday, September 9 (5:30-7:00 pm)
106 1/2 East Clay Street
Join us for light refreshments, a slide show, and discussion on Spot Blight Abatement.
RSVP Required: call (804) 644-5040 or email giles@richmondneighborhoods.org.
Victorian Style Ginter Park Home is a Great Fixer Upper
CLICK HERE for a locator map of 3408 Hawthorne Avenue.
Ginter Park Historic District is home to dozens of grand Victorian "streetcar suburb" houses, and this 1908 residence is one great example. This frame house has a stucco exterior, generous rooms, a wide front porch, and a slate roof. Described as a perfect fixer upper, the home has six bedrooms and two and a-half baths. Check out a few images HERE. The total assessed value of the prorperty is $233,000, but it is listed - as is - for 195,000. For more information on this Hawthorne Avenue residence, call Dennis Garza at (804) 340-0840 or email Dennis.Garza@lonagandfoster.com.
CLICK HERE for further details on 3408 Hawthorne Avenue.
2311 M Street in Union Hill For Sale!
Click here for a locator map
This charming Italianate townhouse located in historic Union Hill is for sale by realtor Dave Seibert. Newly renovated, the 1910 home has two bedrooms, two and a-half bathrooms and new HVAC and utilities. The residence is 1,560 square feet and historic attributes such as floors, mantels, and railings have been restored. Please CLICK HERE for more information and images.
Contact realtor Dave Seibert for purchasing information.
(804) 201-7220; (804) 346-4411 DaveS@longandfoster.com
Task force on the Commission of Architectural Review publishes Report on C.A.R. Guidelines & Processes
The Task Force to Review the Processes and Guidelines of the Commission of Architectural Review was established in July 2009. Meeting throughout the fall and winter of 2009 and the spring of 2010, the Task Force elicited public input on C.A.R. membership, appeals process, official guidelines, role of staff, and the City Ordinance which established the Commission. The Task Force created subcommittees to make studied recommendations based on public input and investigation of other jurisdictions' architectural review boards. From the introduction: "The Task Force wishes to affirm the importance of historic preservation to the revitalization of the City and specifically to the creation of old and historic districts, the work performed by the Commission of Architectural Review and the Commission's Staff."
Read the full report HERE.
Agenda of the Commission of Architectural Review meeting August 24th.
Previous Relevant Process Documents:
- SUBCOMMITTEE ON GUIDELINES REPORT
- SUBCOMMITTEE ON MEMBERSHIP REPORT
- SUBCOMMITTEE ON PROCESS AND PROCEDURES REPORT
New Option Property in the Oakwood-Chimborazo Historic District
(Click on the address for a locator map)
This impressive 1890s Italianate house, located in the Oakwood-Chimborazo State and National Historic District, is eligible for state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits. The frame house features an unusual pyramidal hipped roof, a front porch with detailed historic woodwork, and a two-story side porch, along with intact interior features
such as molding, trim, and mantels. The house has a finished living area of over 2,100 square feet in addition to a modern shed along the rear alley.
Please call the Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods at (804) 644-5040 for more information or to make an appointment with property director Lane Pearson.
CLICK HERE for more information on this Option Property
The Better Housing Coalition Undertakes
Renovation Project at 2012 Fairmount Avenue
CLICK HERE for a locator map.
Better Housing Coalition will undergo the renovation of a ca. 1895, Queen Anne home on Fairmount Ave. The house is adjacent to BHC’s award winning home 2008 Fairmount Avenue, winner of the 2009 Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods Best Residential Renovation Award (pictured below). The 1860 square foot home features 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. 
The BHC will retain the historic character of the home while making it livable again for an individual or family. The original floor plan will be retained in addition to original mantels, flooring, windows and trim where possible. A generous bay window is featured in the 1st floor living room and the 2nd floor master bedroom. The house has a spacious front porch and rear deck. A new security system, lawn and front planting bed is included. During the renovation the house will be updated with new, innovative, green features that will bring substantial savings in energy costs. CLICK HERE for more information.
Interested parties should contact Alison Snow at a.snow@betterhousingcoalition.org or Mary Witt at m.witt@betterhousingcoalition.org.
Blogging for the home renovator: Historic rehabilitation in
Richmond neighborhoods
Ever been curious about what it takes to renovate an old home? From the tricks of the tax credit trade, to the process of upgrading an outdated HVAC system, these blogs will shed light on the process of historic home rehabilitation. The projects below are just a few of the tax credit projects underway at the Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods. For more information on our affordable tax credit program, CLICK HERE.
CLICK HERE to see the progress on 2012 Barton Avenue.
CLICK HERE to find out about 865 North 22nd Street.
Community Charrette Brings Civic Minded Richmond Residents Together to Discuss Design Resource Center
The word “charrette” is a French term which translates to mean “handcart.” The Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods is in the process of evolving to become a neighborhood design resource center, and so on July 22nd Alliance staff wheeled out the handcart for Alliance members, leaders of civic associations, local designers, and Richmond residents of many walks. The group of about forty participants convened at the Edgeworth Building in Tobacco Rowe on a Thursday afternoon. Councilwoman Cynthia Newbille, who has supported the design resource center effort from its beginning, made welcoming remarks. Architects Peter Fraser of Fraser and Associates and Burt Pinnock of BAM Architects facilitated the session.
Participants occupied seven round tables where a small group facilitator guided discussion on various topics including the following: neighborhoods and community advocacy, local government assistance, community building, access and visibility, education, green building, and parks and open space. Lively discussion ensued for the next hour. Table leaders made notes on participants’ commentary, with topics ranging from the design center location and accessibility to GRTC bus routes, to facilitating neighborhood visioning sessions, to keeping residents informed of City of Richmond development initiatives. Guests spoke of their own neighborhoods and hoped that the design resource center would teach courses on how to begin a civic association and how to effectively represent community interests when engaging with City Council, the Commission of Architectural Review, or the Planning Commission.
To conclude the charrette each of the small groups presented the main points of their discussions to the room. Door prizes were awarded to the attendants and the charrette closed for the evening. The Alliance is especially grateful to Hirshler Fleischer and coordinator Myna Rook for allowing the use of their presentation room. Please stay tuned for more news on the Alliance’s transition to become a Neighborhood Design Resource Center.
Explore Your City: North Side Neighborhoods Open House and Bike Tour Program comes to Battery Park's Stone House
Pictured below: The Honorable Ellen Robertson welcomes Explore Your City participants to the North Side.
On Saturday, June 26 residents of Battery Park, Barton Heights, and Highland Park and Richmonders from neighborhoods on both sides of the river convened at the old Stone House in Battery Park to participate in Explore Your City: North Side Neighborhoods. Explore Your City is an Alliance program that serves the dual purposes of bringing history to life in old Richmond neighborhoods and making residents of the city aware of Richmond's unique architectural resources. This June, Explore Your City featured Richmond's early streetcar suburban neighborhoods on the North Side: Battery Park, Barton Heights, and Highland Park. Please CLICK HERE to read on about this event, see pictures of the North Side Bike Tour, and to find out more about our annually published neighborhood property booklet.
To view a PDF of the Explore Your City property booklet, CLICK HERE.
To obtain your own copy, email info@richmondneighborhoods.org or call (804) 644-5040.
The Alliance worked with the Battery Park Civic Association and and the Southern Barton Heights Community Association to accomplish this event. The Alliance also thanks the Valentine Richmond History Center and the City of Richmond Dept. of Planning & Development Review for ongoing support.
SOLD !
Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods negotiates a sale of a former Oliver Lawrence Property in the in Oakwood-Chimborazo Historic District
CLICK HERE to view the story and video by Rachel DePompa of WWBT NBC12 News
(Pictured below: 421-423 North 33rd Street)
Located in the Oakwood-Chimborazo State and National Register Historic Districts, this circa 1910 Classical Revival house has been SOLD through our Option Property Program. The Alliance, Virginia Commonwealth Bank, Dave Seibert with Long & Foster Realtors worked collaboratively to facilitate the sale of this historic house formerly owned by Oliver Lawrence. Lawrence was convicted last fall of more than 180 property maintenance violations. Renovation work has already started to this formerly vacant house and we look forward to tracking the progress of this rehabilitation that will utilize historic tax credits to guide the project.
CLICK HERE to visit our Option Properties page for other renovation opportunities
Check out these Chamberlayne Avenue Properties...
Before it's too Late!
Houses Featured on NBC 12 News: Click Here to view the story & video
(Pictured below 4200 & 4204 Chamberlayne Ave)
The Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods encourages interested renovators, contractors, and developers to investigate these THREE north side properties
located at the corner of Chamberlayne and Bellevue Avenue and now available at the incredible price of $425,000. Sold as a 
package only, this deal includes 2 homes and one land parcel, and is a great opportunity to make an impact in a neighborhood with strong fabric and an already vibrant community. Both houses are contributing homes on the Virginia Register of Historic Places and qualify for Historic Tax Credits. Demolition on these residences is pending; serious offers should be submitted as soon as possible. Please help to save 4200 and 4202 Chamberlayne Avenue from pending demolition!
To learn more about these properties, check out THIS FLYER (Click here).
CLICK HERE to view interiors of these Ginter Park homes
For purchase information, contact:
Lee Hilbert of Harrison & Bates at (804) 591-2411 or email
lee.hilbert@harrison-bates.com
or Bruce Milam, Vice President (804) 591-2412 or email
bruce.milam@harrison-bates.com
Announcing New Option Properties
at the Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods
Through the Option Property program, the Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods encourages the historic renovation of homes in urban neighborhoods. We are excited to announce the 
availability of three historic houses in the Brookland Park, Fairmount, and Union Hill neighborhoods. Each of these homes is located in a State and Federal Historic District, which means they are eligible for up to 45% recoverable renovation expenses through the state of Virginia's rehabilitation tax credit process, which you can find out more about HERE.
Click addresses listed below for further information on each property.
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1418 North 21st Street, Fairmount
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2927 Garland Ave, Brookland Park
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2428 Venable Street, Union Hill
Contact property director Lane Pearson at the Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods for further details about these Option Properties. Call 644-5040 or email lpearson@richmondneighborhoods.org.
CLICK HERE to visit our Option Properties page.
The Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods
Vacant & Foreclosed Properties Initiative
826 N. 24th Street ~ Union Hill 
CLICK HERE for pricing and contact information on 826 N. 24th Street in Union Hill.
Essential to the vitality of the city of Richmond, local neighborhoods are the primary focus of the vacant and foreclosed properties initiative. Many of the neighborhoods that give Richmond its charm and special quality of place are threatened by vacancy and blight, especially in those communities with strong historic roots. Through initiatives like the Option Property Program, the Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods is restoring communities, one house at a time. Our staff follows real estate foreclosures and home vacancies closely, in order to identify properties before they are beyond repair and then facilitate their rehabilitation.
CLICK HERE to learn about our current Option Properties.
CLICK HERE to view the City of Richmond's Vacant Building List (compiled Jan. 2010).
To find out about neglected homes in Richmond's historic neighborhoods,
check out Richmond Slumlord Watch
For an article by Richmond BizSense contributor Drew Jackson listing Richmond foreclosures CLICK HERE
Richmond Slave Trail Commission Makes Progress in Plans for Shockoe Bottom Heritage District Development
(Pictured below: Rendering of proposed slavery museum & Lumpkin's Jail archaeological site by Stockton Clay Architects of Richmond, Virginia.)
Members of the Slave Trail Commission are working with city and state elected officials to select a planning and economic development consultant to perform a Shockoe Bottom area study, which would recommend future potential uses of the area. In the latter half of 2009, Richmond saw great progress made on planning a slavery museum, a preserved Lumpkin's Jail site, and a marked slave trail running from the banks of the James throughout the neighborhood. (Check out the article HERE that describes local design group Stockton Clay's concept for a slavery museum.)
The Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhood believes that the geographic and historic origin of the city of Richmond, the neighborhood we now call Shockoe Bottom, is a community rich with historic fabric and vibrant activity, and supports the effort to bring about a plan that emphasizes the community's potentially enormous impact on Richmond's revitalization. The Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods has been involved in the discussion of the most effective ways to promote Richmond's slave trade history since our organization helped to rescue and preserve the Winfree slave cottage from deterioration. (Read more about freed slave Emily Winfree's home HERE.)
With the excavation of the Lumpkin's Jail site in 2009, the Alliance continued to advocate for acknowledgement of Shockoe Bottom as a significant place in the understanding of African-American and slave heritage in Richmond, Virginia and at the national level. While important sites like the Negro burial ground, just north of the Lumpkin's Jail site remain under asphalt, the national Historic District document Slave Trade as Commercial Enterprise in Richmond, Virginia provides maps and copious evidence that these critical spaces remain preserved underground. The Alliance will continue to be active in the Slave Trail Commission in the effort to protect, excavate and incorporate these historic sites into the public realm, so that all Richmonders and visitors to Shockoe Bottom can learn about the nation's slave trade past.
For more information about how Richmond leaders are making an effort to recognize this history read the most recent commentary in the Times-Dispatch HERE.
The Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods is now Accepting Nominations for the 2010 Awards!
CLICK HERE to access our 2010 Golden Hammer Nomination Form.
The 10th Annual Golden Hammer Awards were held November 12, 2009 at Plaza Bowl in the Southside Plaza Shopping Center on the corner of Belt Boulevard and Hull Street. The 2009 Golden Hammer Awards was the most highly attended that the Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods 
has held in ten years, despite torrential rains. Thirty-two renovation and infill projects from neighborhoods across our fair city were represented in the presentation, for which City of Richmond Community Development Director Rachel Flynn and Valentine Richmond History Center Director Bill Martin made opening remarks. Many of the project leaders, including architects, local developers, contractors, and home owners were in attendance; Plaza Bowl's twenty bowling lanes were full of activity and lively conversation.
CLICK HERE for more information on the 32 excellent nominated projects.
CLICKE HERE to read about the 2009 Awards Ceremony & Winners
Be a Part of the Coalition to Protect Richmond's Historic View Shed and Public Access to the James River!
View of the James River from Libby Hill in Richmond, Virginia (Present Day)
In the on-going discussion over the most appropriate use of the banks of the James River, Richmond's defining natural feature, local residents are taking a stand and inviting fellow citizens to join them. Neighborhood activists, conservationists, historians, and James River enthusiasts have created an online "Riverfront Petition" and are filling it with the signatures of residents who share their concern for protecting access to public park space in downtown Richmond. The goal is to demonstrate to City Council that 
Richmonders value the natural landscape and view from the vantage point of Libby Hill Park. According to Richmond lore the city was so-named for this picturesque view of the southern bend in the river. To the American city's founders, this view resembled the Thames River at Richmond outside of London, England (Richmond Upon Thames, London, UK pictured left).
CLICK HERE to find out more! Sign the petition to save "The View that Named the City" and preserve public access to the James River at this historic site.
Preservation Consultant Services Now Offered at the Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods
A "One-Stop-Shop" for Historic Home Renovators
If you are the owner of a historic home in a City Old & Historic District or considering purchasing property in one of Richmond's historic neighborhoods, then our preservation consultants may have something to offer you. From nuts and bolts rehabilitation advice, to tax credit consulting, to helping you attain C.A.R. approval for your renovation project, Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods consultants will facilitate your historic home renovation.
Please CLICK HERE for details about Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods Preservation Consultant Services
