RECENT COMMENTS
This building may have been vacant since 1966
While looking up the story of the Pure Oil Company filling station/Triangle Inn Restaurant at 1000 North 25th Street, I also pulled the history of the corner commercial space at 821 North 25th Street. With the entire block of O Street behind it being revamped and word that the building has a future as a retail/restaurant space, it seemed like a good time to find out what used to be there…
The earliest Hill Directory available at Richmond Main Library is from 1902. This record from that year shows that Henry C. Powers was running a grocery store this location.
The available records jump to 1915, at which point the location is still a grocery, though being operated by Henry’s widow Bertie B. Powers.
During the mid-1920s, cleaner and presser J.F.Howard had the space.
By 1931, the corner spot was again a grocery, this time in the hands of Beverly R. Warriner. Mary E. & George W. Wicks ran a grocery in the mid-1930s, Alice L. Cook had the store for at least 1937, and Leonard B. Moss ran a grocery from 1938 to at least 1943.
During the mid-1940s, this was the 25th Street Shoe Shop.
The 1948-1949 issue of the Hill Directory lists the business as Bill’s Confectionary operated by William C. Coke. In what is either an amazing coincidence or a spelling error, the business is listed as Cooke’s Confectionary (run by W.C.Cooke) from at least the early 1950s though the mid-1960s.
A spot check though the available records does not show any occupancy after 1966.
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821 North 25th Street (1950s)
Rather it be the same house (most likely) I see an 821 N 25th listed in 1876-77 directory online listed for a George Burgess. Then in 1881 a James W. Edwards was living there.
The State Library has all of the years on microfilm to do a trace search. I haven’t looked at the maps yet to see if the building was there post Civil War?
I have begged and pleaded with the city to take some action on the property, which is just a few doors down from me. It is covered with graffiti and slowly being eaten by vegetation. I regularly report it for overgrowth and other violations. I am always amused when they tack multi-page violations to the door since the owners are long dead and I am told no heir has been found. In the meantime, it is a blight on a block that would otherwise be farther along in its renovation.
City employees told me that the owners of record lived there in the ’90’s.
#2, it is almost certainly the same house. The city lists the property as both 821 North 25th Street and as 2501 O Street.
I will check and see if I can track down anyone related to the last owner(S).
@ #6 – Eric,
The surviving heir has been found and the property is under contract. No need to search out or disturb the distant relatives that live within the City. I’ll make a point of meeting with him to gather the history of the building and his family’s business there.
John – great piece. Thanks!
N 25th St. – developer… thanks.
Will be interesting to find out the history and we all know the building is MUCH older than the city assessor’s date of 1910 which was a generic date placed on structures they didn’t know a date for when the new system was in place many years ago. That can be easily changed when a year is established like I did for all of the houses on our block when I gave them years for each structure.
You may also want to check the ClickFix site because there is a complaint about the house with the vines growing on the neighbor’s house and them complaining about damage from it.
#7, I hope you’ll let those of us on the street know what your plans are or at least roughly when you plan to take control of the property. I am still having to contact the city for landscaping maintenance when the place gets completely out of control. The O Street sidewalk that runs along the property is completely overgrown. There is more graffiti on the property now than ever. It’s just a mess. Anything you can do to help on this front would make a real difference. I am also glad you found an heir. The city told me on multiple occasions that they could not locate one and that was the hang up. Perhaps they should hire you for their future probate work in matters such as these. 🙂
@8, what is the best way to find out the true date of construction on the home. Ours, which is a few doors down, is listed as 1915, but I suspect that is not accurate.
@ # 10 – BAF, I’ll be sure to do so. No plans will be announced until the transaction closes. The heir is aware of the maintenance obligations and has been tending to the grass via a service this summer.
I am not allowed to do anything to the property until it changes hands. Uncovering the sidewalk will the first off the list of hundreds of things to accomplish.
Netherwoods: An ambitious renovation project is set to rejuvenate a city block in Church Hill North
http://www.richmond.com/realestate/richmond-neighborhoods/article_b2afb75e-f033-11e4-8410-0b730a067ca0.html