After a long wait, new neighborhood restaurant Peddler On Pine Street is now open. Its location is on the alley behind the Fine Foods store on Idlewood.
238 S. Pine Street
Richmond, Virginia 23220
(804) 729-6475
www.peddleronpinest.com
From their site:
Order from our full menu for pick up at 238 South Pine Street in Richmond or we can deliver your order within the VCU Area! We deliver West to the Boulevard, East to 14th Street, North to I-95, and South to the James River.
On this week of St. Patrick’s Day, we tip our hats to Irishman William Rankin who exactly 141 years ago on this day on March 17, 1877 served as Chief Marshall of the St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Richmond.
According to his November 9, 1913 obituary in the Times Dispatch, William Rankin was a native of County Louth, Ireland, and “Because of his kindness and generosity to the poor, he was called by his associates, ‘St. Vincent de Paul.'” A photograph of Mr. Rankin appeared with his obituary, which at the time was an honor afforded only the most respected citizens.
We salute and respect the contributions that Mr. Rankin, who owned much of the 800 block of West Cary Street, made to our city and neighborhood. We appreciate the fine building that he constructed at 815 W. Cary (now Sweet Frogs).
While these landmarks remain, the history of Mr. Rankin and the Irish contributions to our great city will be remembered and appreciated.
A Change.org petition was launched online which addresses the J.D. Lewis Construction Company (According to a recent media report, these are the owners: “A group made up of Kevin O’Leary and James Flanigan, who own J.D. Lewis Construction Management, and local developer Larry Cluff are assembling 13 parcels near the corner of West Cary and South Laurel streets …”). There will be other written petitions at the public demonstration this afternoon.
From the petition language:
We, the concerned citizens of the City of Richmond, value our irreplaceable Historic Resources. They are the foundation and character of our beloved City. The antebellum buildings at 800 block of West Cary Street are classic examples of solid 19th century Virginian architecture that deserve to conserved and repurposed. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1991, this iconic street-scape could serve as a beautiful frontage to your new development.
We, the undersigned, urge you to avoid demolishing the historic buildings at 800 block West Cary Street and incorporate them into your designs.
The PTSA at Open High School is raising money to replace broken chairs in their classrooms. Please click this link to donate:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050d4daaad2ea46-save
From press release:
For Immediate Release March 16, 2018
The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association, in alliance with the Oregon Hill Home Improvement Council, is committed to ensuring a successful and historically sensitive development on the 800 block of W Cary Street. After meeting with the developers and reviewing the interpretations of the Richmond Department of Planning and Development Review regarding the plan of development for this project, we and other interested parties have identified serious concerns and seek clarification on a number of issues regarding allowances made that may be inconsistent with the established zoning parameters for the applicable zoning designation for this area and may cause irreparable damage to this historic district.. We find it in the best interest of the Oregon Hill Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as well as the residents of the City of Richmond, to fairly and accurately apply these regulations in a lawful manner.
In light of the fact that the existing buildings on this block are profoundly important to the intrinsic fabric of our historic district, we ask that the city be especially cautious and re-examine their determinations cited in our attached letter. These buildings date from the 1830’s and later into the 19th century and stand as a testament to the craftsmanship and ingenuity of our forefathers. They deserve to be saved and preserved for the future.
This alliance of neighborhood advocacy groups has chosen to retain Andrew McRoberts of the Sands Anderson Law firm to represent our interests in this matter. We hereby respectfully present to the City of Richmond as well as to interested members of the public, an attached letter sent to the Richmond Department of Planning and Development Review outlining our concerns.
Sincerely,
Charles Todd Woodson, president
Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association
As part of the neighborhood campaign to save these buildings from demolition (and don’t forget the public demonstration planned for Sunday afternoon), neighbors have prepared a flyer that explains just some of the history and importance of these structures.
Note: If you have trouble reading or printing these, please try to download the pdf versions.
From the message:
Despite what people say, I am not a big fan of public demonstrations, yet they are certainly necessary sometimes. Everyone that I have spoken to says we need to get more media attention and public support if we are going to save these buildings. For that reason, I am calling all neighbors and friends of Oregon Hill to come to the sidewalks at and near the corner of Laurel and W. Cary on Sunday at 4 pm to demand that the threatened buildings be saved from demolition. Please spread the word. All we really need is for people with signs to come together for fifteen minutes or so for some good photo opportunities. This is a family-friendly, nonviolent, inclusive action in order to make this cause more visible. No vandalism or obscenity please.
As reported from Style magazine:
At 9:55 a.m. today, about 90 students filed out the front door of Open High School in Oregon Hill and lined up along South Belvidere Street. The students stood in silence for 17 minutes in remembrance of the 17 victims of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida.
In better news, the surprise snow yesterday lead to some pretty pictures of the neighborhood. Expect the sun to melt everything today…
Laurel Street photo from neighbor Paula Oakley
From a neighbor:
About 5:20 pm yesterday, right as VCU closed, I saw a line of cars across the newly seeded park property, making their own street from parking on Grayland to exiting onto Idlewood by the roundabout. They had moved the barriers and destroyed the beautiful newly fixed up sod. They were even using the turnaround area for parking! So tired of the neighborhood getting crapped on by VCU commuters/free parkers. More substantial barriers should go up this week and the long term plan is to place big rocks there as a barrier to block them from entering. I so wish we could have closed Grayland. Since this is park property, maybe we should name it and figure a use for it…