The press release:

A CITY OLD & HISTORIC DISTRICT PUBLIC CONVERSATION

Wednesday, June 24th
6:30 – 8:30 pm
The Firehouse Theatre
1609 W. Broad Street [MAP]
(Free parking across the street at Lowe’s)

Richmond’s Commission of Architectural Review
and City Staff want to hear from YOU!
Why do we have Old & Historic Districts?
Why do we choose to live in them?
Why do we think they are important?
What does the public want from them?
How can the Commission of Architectural Review (CAR), the City, and residents be better custodians of Old & Historic Districts?
How can we strengthen the alliance between CAR, the City and residents?
This meeting is free and open to all residents and interested parties of Old & Historic Districts.
Please attend. Your input is crucial.

For more information, contact James Hill at james.hill@richmondgov.com
or city staff at (804) 646-6313.

Some insight:

Oregon Hill has National and State Historic Designation, but by choice not City O&H, though it may happen in the future. While I am personally favorable towards O&H for Oregon Hill, many of my neighbors have objected to government involvement and any possible economic hardship from maintaining O&H standards, and I try to respect that. I often try to broach this topic at neighborhood association meetings. If nothing else, I try to keep a sense of humor about it.

We have also watched how the City and State government has not exactly been uniform in its approach to historic preservation. Keep in mind that VCU is exempt from City code and continues to encroach and destroy our neighborhood. The debate about Union Hill’s O&H needs to be heard.

Oregon Hill has the distinction of holding the most individual historic easements in the City. There was actually a DHR meeting at the Jacob House about that not too long ago.

To get on my soapbox a bit, those individual easements are important because while Oregon Hill may lack grand mansions, we are very historic for the overall collection of working class small houses and business fronts. Its not just rich neighborhoods and government buildings that are historic and deserve to be preserved.

Thanks,
Scott