RICHMOND, Va. – The demolition of five historic structures in Richmond’s Oregon Hill neighborhood began Monday, despite protests and neighbors working to stop it.
The vacant buildings, located in in the 800 block of W. Cary Street, will make way for a four-story mixed used complex with 100-apartment units.
J.D. Lewis Construction Management are the developers for the $18.5 million project that will include 10,000 square feet of retail on the ground level.
The buildings, which are listed on the state and national registers of historic places, are located near Cary and Laurel and adjacent to VCU’s Monroe Park Campus.
Two of the buildings, 803 and 807 W. Cary Street, were built pre-Civil War -- a reason some in the neighborhood felt they should be preserved.
In a statement, Charles Todd Woodson, the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association President, said the community is saddened that negotiations over the buildings reached an impasse.
“The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association will vigorously proceed with our efforts to protect remaining Oregon Hill landmarks as well as other city landmarks,” said Woodson.
Buildings will be razed to make way for the 805W development on the edge of VCU territory. (SOURCE: J. Elias O’Neal via Richmond BizSense.)
Woodson was hoping to preserve the historic buildings and include them in the new development.
In February, the developer of the project told Richmond BizSense that construction is set to begin this spring and the project, dubbed 805W, will take about a year to complete.
