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1317 North 26th facing demolition
11/18/2010 4:47 PM by John M
Via Historic Richmond Foundation:
SOUTHSIDE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING CORP
B. 1840-60s (?)
total value $38,000
transferred 5/2010 from Richmond Redevelopment and Housing AuthorityPart of the Church Hill North National Historic District
Adverse effect of demolition determined by Section 106 review due to it contributing status to the neighborhood.
TAGGED: 26th Street
IT MUST BE SAVED!
You’re kidding me right? I could probably push it over with my index finger. Please explain the value of this structure historically.
Wow! That’s an old one for Richmond City.
remember every shack is sacred!
If the cottage is 1840-1860s then it should be saved. My house is c 1845 and I was told it’s one of, if not, the oldest frame house in Union Hill. History this old is difficult to come by in Richmond especially if it is frame construction. Does anyone know the square footage? I bet it would look quite nice once restored!
A structure does not have historic value simply because it is associated with an event or person(s). If that is the criteria, most of Church Hill does not have historic value. This house may not be as solid as it once was, but its longevity proves it was sturdily built by hand with good materials. Its replacement is unlikely to have the same quality, as is usually the case. I understand why some feel that this is an eyesore that needs to be torn down, but I believe the community would benefit if it was restored rather than replaced with something you could find in the suburbs that simply has elements of an older style on the facade.
Thanks for posting this John.
SEW #5, I agree with you. I looked it up on the city assessor’s website, they show square footage at 924 I think – the tab labeled ‘sketches’ shows a basic format with sq. ft. Here’s a link.
http://eservices.ci.richmond.va.us/applications/PropertySearch/Detail.aspx?pin=E0000621026
What makes it even sadder to me is that RRHA owned it AND Three Strands Management owned it, and nobody did anything to fix it, apparently. Three Strands owned it from 2005 to 2007, the way I read the city’s information. AND it’s considered a contributing structure to the old & historic district, which makes it even more important.
Also, I checked a range of addresses in that block, and most are vacant and owned either by RRHA or Southside Community Dev. & Housing Corp. What are either of those organizations doing to add to the housing stock of the city?! Seems to me that they are buying vacant houses and letting them fall apart, instead of reducing blight and providing decent affordable housing.
@crd. Yes, I live in the 1100 block of N. 26th Street in a house built by the Better Housing Coalition. The RRHA does own more property on the street and BHC does build houses. The problem is that no one is buying. It’s taking a very long time for the BHC properties to sell. My guess is that they are holding off on buying more or building more on vacant lots until the economy is better. Houses sit for months with no one buying.
#8 UrbanPioneer, congrats on having a BHC house, I think they do wonderful work! I understand what you are saying about the market. But it’s still a shame that this one house at 1317 may be lost, though, as it seems like a real treasure at that age.
We do not have that many examples of this style from that period in the city… It amazes me how eager people are to erase history and put up subpar replicas… and even that is stretching it.