RICHMOND, Va. -- A rally was held Sunday in hopes of saving the former Richmond Community Hospital building standing at the edge of Virginia Union University's campus.
The 117-year-old brick structure on Overbrook Road in Jackson Ward is set to be demolished in order to make room for affordable housing.
Former Virginia Delegate Viola Baskerville, who organized the rally, said the structure is an important symbol of Richmond's Black history and was also integral in the fight for medical equity.
“It's a piece of the fabric of the community, not only the community locally here,” Baskerville explained. “But when you talk about healthcare professionals, your nurses, your doctors, nurses. People who labored to make sure the African American community was treated with respect as patients.”
That is one of the reasons Baskerville believes the historic structure should be spared from the wrecking ball.
“It is critically important that we preserve these places, we rehabilitate these places and we make sure that there's an adaptive reuse of them,” Baskerville said.
People in attendance also shared stories and testimonies about how their lives were impacted by the hospital.
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