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PRESS RELEASE August 25, 2008 5:00 PM - Historic Richmond Foundation Opposes 33 Unit Condominium Development in Chimborazo Historic District Richmond, VA -- Historic Richmond Foundation (HRF) is joining with Chimborazo historic neighborhood residents and the Churchill Association on Tuesday, August 26th, 2008 to speak against the proposed high-density, multi-family residential project at the Eastern-most ends of Broad and Marshall Streets. The project, conceived by Margaret Freund at DGM Properties, is facing its third appearance since December 2007 before the Commission of Architectural Review (CAR). “This project does not embrace the single family character of the Oakwood historic district,” said Mary Jane Hogue, Executive Director of HRF. “The residents need to have a voice because they made a personal investment in their homes fully knowing that they would have to adhere to the design guidelines of a historic district. Their protection from unruly infill not consistent with the character of their own individual buildings is being jeopardized by this project.” The proposed condominium development jeopardizes the historic integrity of a 118-year-old structure at 3626 E Broad St, which the applicant desires to incorporate into a 12-bay row house design. Although the construction of row housing is a highly efficient construction technique to the benefit of the applicant, it is, however, a significant departure and irreversible change to the consonance of urban buildings with established plot dimensions in Oakwood. HRF does not support projects that do not meet the guidelines for infill practices in Old & Historic Districts, as they set precedent and question the integrity of our city’s oldest surviving neighborhoods. In a meeting between the neighborhood and the applicant last week, it was specifically mentioned by the applicant that, “this project is intended to set a precedent for the future of historic districts in the City of Richmond by building a multi-family sustainable design.” HRF realizes that community change is inevitable; however, sustainable growth is intentional. While each individual property in a historic district should be recognized as a physical record of its own time, each historic district as a whole needs to be recognized as a flow of space and not a series of insular and incompatible boxes About Historic Richmond Foundation Founded in 1956, Historic Richmond Foundation (HRF) is the largest and oldest non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the Richmond area. HRF has been instrumental in saving hundreds of historic structures from demolition, was a leader in the designation of the city’s first historic district, St. John’s Church (Church Hill), as well as helped to establish the city’s Commission of Architectural Review a half century ago. HRF pioneered the concept of adaptive reuse with historic structures in Richmond and maintains a special revolving fund to purchase, restore and resell historic properties. HRF currently owns Monumental Church, a National Historic Landmark, as well as works to educate the community about the city’s unique building traditions through lectures, historic neighborhood programs and the regular publication of books regarding the city’s distinctive architecture. CONTACT: Katie Kelley
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