Category Archives: Tredegar

Historic Tredegar To Expand To Remind People Of The Civil War

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Excerpt from Times Dispatch article:

Richmond’s fiery last days of the Civil War will immerse visitors in a new interactive version of history at the American Civil War Center when an $8 million fundraising campaign is complete.

The campaign announced today has already secured pledges of $6.3 million from board members and riverfront neighbors of the center at Historic Tredegar.

A total of $4 million in contributions will come from NewMarket Corp. and Bruce C. Gottwald, chairman of both the Tredegar board and NewMarket’s executive committee.

MeadWestvaco has made a $500,000 commitment.

The most obvious change to the museum property will be a $3 million building connecting the current exhibition space with administrative offices.

A 100-seat theater within the new building will present a $1.2 million production tentatively called “Richmond on Fire,” said Christy S. Coleman, president of the Civil War center. The 12- to 15-minute immersive experience, “where scholarship meets showmanship,” will involve all the senses, she said.

“It will tell the story of those harrowing days at the end of the war (when the waterfront was set on fire by departing Confederates) with the purpose of exploring how the nation got to this point. We want the visitor to … have a greater emotional connection when they go into the exhibits.”

A $450,000 working model of Tredegar Ironworks in 1865 will be built in an area where the Richmond Folk Festival has children’s activities. Other improvements in interpretation at the center will include $300,000 in exhibit upgrades and $200,000 for outdoor interpretation through mobile devices.

In partnership with the National Park Service and the Richmond Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau, the campaign also will provide $350,000 to create a Gateway Orientation Center in the Pattern Building.

One of the smile-producing additions will be a cannon made from the same mold that Tredegar used, said board member S. Buford Scott.

“We are hoping to fire this cannon at noon every day and remind Richmond we are the gateway of the Civil War and a place to visit,” Scott said.

Gottwald, in an announcement of the campaign, said people need to remember that Richmond was the focal point of a war that cost 625,000 American lives. “A substantial part of this disaster occurred right here, right within earshot of our city.

Historic Canal Area Controversy Continues

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The Times Dispatch had a report on a recent Planning Commission meeting about the proposed 2nd Street Connector. It did not mention Oregon Hill citizens’ troubles with the project, but it did focus on concerns about what the road might mean for future use of the historic Kanawha Canal.

Excerpt:

The Richmond Planning Commission on Tuesday approved a final design for the estimated $1.3 million Second Street Connector despite concerns that the culvert may be too small to allow boats to pass if water flow could someday be restored to the canal.

“The purpose of the canal is to float boats. If we’re going to float boats on this canal, they’ve got to be able to pass this constriction,” said Jack Pearsall, who is trying to reignite interest in restoring a functional canal system stretching from Great Shiplock Park to Maymont.

Pearsall, who served on a Historic Richmond Foundation committee that studied the idea more than 20 years ago, estimated that the culvert would be about 12 feet high with only about 6 feet of clearance if water flow were restored. That means typical canal boats wouldn’t be able to pass, he said.

Meanwhile, C. Wayne Taylor has compiled some very interesting images of the canal area on his blog. They are well worth checking out. If nothing else, they give some perspective on how important this area has been to Richmond’s identity over the decades.

Which vision will City Council and City government ultimately align with, the citizens’ desire for a working, refurbished canal or another corporate driveway? Who does the City work for?

Riverfront Planning Meeting On Tuesday

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With James River Park leader Ralph White retiring, citizen input for riverfront planning may become even more important.

CITY OF RICHMOND Riverfront Plan

The Department of Planning and Development Review invites members of the public to attend the third Public Forum on the Richmond Riverfront Plan:

Tuesday, December 13, 2011
6:00 pm
Virginia War Memorial
621 South Belvidere

The Consultant Team from Hargreaves Associates will present a draft plan that outlines the overall design concept for Richmond’s riverfront, followed by an opportunity for public comment. The draft plan will describe public realm improvements, emphasizing pedestrian and bike connections, transportation corridors, and identification of anticipated future private development, with a prioritized plan for implementation.

The presentations from the first and second forums are available on the Department of Planning and Development Review’s webpage on the City website at www.richmondgov.com

Parking is available at the Virginia War Memorial, the adjacent Virginia Housing Development Authority, and along Second Street.

For more information contact
James Hill, City of Richmond
Telephone: (804) 646-7552
E-mail: James.Hill@richmondgov.com

Tredegar Announces Holiday Ornament Contest

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From Times Dispatch article:

The American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar is hosting a holiday ornament contest to decorate the center’s 7-foot tree. All ornaments must be handmade and include at least one item used on ornaments created during the Victorian era, such as paper, lace, ribbon or walnut shells. (Gilded walnuts were popular.)

The ornaments will be hung on the center’s tree, which will be on display in the museum store through the new year. One grand-prize winner will receive passes to visit Historic Tredegar. Runners-up will be featured online on Historic Tredegar-related websites.

Each ornament must have the entrant’s name, address and phone number attached to the item. The deadline for entries is Dec. 12. Drop off entries at the center’s museum store, 500 Tredegar St., between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The winner will be announced Dec. 15.

For details, call (804) 780-1865, ext. 21, or email pcarringtonwallace@tredegar.org.