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ArchitectureRichmond: Billups Funeral Home
08/17/2015 7:59 AM by John M
Billups traces its beginnings to 1850 when Lafayette Washington Billups, a master carpenter, became a Richmond casket maker operating at 1506 E. Main St. In 1925 the family business moved to a handsome, three-story, Italianate building at the prominent intersection of East Marshall and 25th streets in Church Hill (architect unknown).
In 1928 architect Marcellus Wright was engaged to essentially double the size of this building by extending it eastward. He designed the broad– almost theatrical– facade we see today.
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via ArchitectureRichmond
True, the architect name is missing on the building permit (contractor was James Fox & Son) but could probably be found in documents.
If anyone is interested in the background history of the Billups Funeral Home, read my article in the June 2014 issue of the CHA Newsletter, page 10
http://www.churchhill.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/2014JUN_web.pdf
Also, a little known fact. Henry Williamson Woody, founder of Woody Funeral Homes, was first in business with a John Gordon “J. G.” Peerman as Peerman & Woody in 1905 located at 2518 E. Broad, on the corner where Noldes is now. They split in 1910 but Woody independently stayed at that location. He would enter an incorporated partnership with Charles J. Billups as Billups & Woody but was almost immediately withdrawn. It would be interesting to know what happened but Billups had purchased the land on the corner of 25th & Marshall for their new business venture. This would eventually be developed years later in 1916 with the first phase of the current building. His now rival Woody, would build only 3 blocks away the same year in what is now the Manning Funeral Home 700 N 25th. Woody never married.
Guess I could have said that Billups & Woody was incorporated in June 1911 and withdrawn the same month with a notice by Billups in the newspaper stating that happened and that he would still develop the land. But, it would be 5 years before he started.
Manning moved into the old Woody location on 25th Street in 1966.
@Eric – Does all of this somehow relate to or explain the subdivision designation “undertaker’s row” ??? (mentioned on the tax information available through the assessor’s office for several row homes on Marshal – mostly near Chimborazo Elementary, if I remember correctly)
@4 Lee…
I will have to take a look into this one but often, areas are nicknamed by even one house. Like the one at 3406 E Broad that was built in 1931 by Morton G,. Billups, the son of Charles J. Billups and also in business with his family. Also, being that the area was across from the Civil War hospitals, the houses across from it may have been used then as places to prepare the bodied for shipment home. It is worth investigating.