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The past and future of Creighton Court
PHOTO via The Library of Virginia Rice Collection
Mark Robinson’s To Live and Die in Creighton Court in Richmond Magazine is “a look at the city’s plan to revitalize Creighton Court, as seen by three incredible women who live there”:
This is a story about three women. One moved to Creighton when it first opened, and 64 years later, she hasn’t left and doesn’t want to. One became the first in her family to move into public housing, and has no intention of sticking around to see the promised Creighton. And the third moved in with her mother, and now rents her own unit. In this potential remaking, she sees something long elusive in the neighborhood: Hope for a future now denied its children.
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In the same issue, Tina Griego’s How Did We End Up Here? is a short history of public housing in the city:
The city has six large public housing communities. Four — Creighton, Mosby, Whitcomb and Fairfield courts — are within 1 square mile of one another in the East End. A mile and half west, near Belvidere and Interstate 95, lies Gilpin Court. The sixth, Hillside Court, a South Side outlier intended for whites, but now an African-American community just as the others, sits off Commerce Road. These communities are home to about 9,100 residents, a little more than half of whom are 17 and younger.
See also: Public housing in Richmond (8/23/2009)
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Finally – they breakdown the RRHA’s plan to transform the Creighton Court community:
See also: related posts on CHPN
I enjoyed the article. The different perspectives from the personal stories are always eye opening. The reminder of the failures of HOPE VI in Blackwell and TK Somanath addressing what was learned and how this attempt will be better.
That said, the accompanying video shows renderings of large new brick homes with expansive neoclassical porches far nicer than what many of us purchasing market rate north of Marshall street in Churchill are buying for $250-400K. That doesn’t seem responsible or just. These should be value engineered down a bit. I’m not saying build the ugly cinder block stuff again. The wood framed hardiplank sided townhomes built in 2012 on the 1400 block of T St seem to be a better model. Those were sold for under $100K. They are nice 1200SF homes with modest front porches and good curb appeal in the front with fenced in yards and sheds in the rear. A family on assistance should be absolutely be able to make it work in such a home. I don’t see why anyone needs/deserves a large beautiful brick mcmansion for $64/mo.