Richmond is an ever-changing city, a 21st century capital striving to become a world-class city. Development is at an all-time high here, even as the city’s poor, mostly African American, fall even further behind. Racing forward while looking back, Richmond is a city in transition.
By Ellen Brooks, Garrett Fundakowski, and Will Hogge.
From the top of Libby Hill Park, the city’s skyscrapers appear at eye level, the whole city shrunk. The James River looks calm and muted, the train sleeps abed its platform, and the traffic’s noise is blurred by its distance to the park. With this all-encompassing view, a number of buildings stick out as outsiders. Read more about Stone Brewery, Fulton’s Hope[…]
Everyone I talk to drops in a new historical fact about Church Hill. This time, it’s about a tree. “It was there before Lincoln,” says Lynn Weiss, William and Mary Professor. She sits with her dog in the rain, longingly staring past her neighbor’s house and out at the Richmond skyline. Church Hill is full Read more about Church Hill Remembers[…]
I TAKE A SEAT ON A BENCH at the corner of Admiral Gravely Boulevard and Government Road in the Fulton community of downtown Richmond. I’m waiting for the bus at Stop 191. It’s early evening—4:42 pm, to be exact. Behind me, the echo of a basketball smacking asphalt can be heard as two children practice Read more about BUS STOP 191[…]
ACROSS THE STREET from the gravel parking lot, a crumbling concrete path leads into the trees. Weeds have grown through the cracks and glass shards litter the spaces in between. Off to the left, a rusted metal dumpster sits silently; small yellow flowers bloom at its base. The sign reads Gillies Creek Park. In the Read more about FULTON HAD EVERYTHING[…]
Patti Wright and her son own Pop’s Market on East Grace Street and work to use community strength to drive equitable downtown development. Photo by Will Hogge. PATTI WRIGHT SMILES as she remembers: It was like yesterday. “People would line up for hours just for the chance the meet the ‘real’ Santa. He had an earpiece and Read more about SMALL BUSINESS SQUEEZE[…]
FROM THEIR FRUIT AND VEGETABLE STANDS at the 17th Street Market in Shockoe Bottom, sisters Rosa Fleming, 79, and Evelyn Allen, 81, have watched and lived through the roller coaster existence of Richmond’s “Bottom” for 75 years. Their family has worked these stands as vendors for four generations—over half of the 279 years that the market has been in existence. Read more about Surviving the Flood[…]
Our Walking Map By Ellen Brooks, Garrett Fundakowski and Will Hogge.