Take it to the (Park) House

Good news… remember that stuff? It still exists! Right here in Church Hill! For example, did you know that The Friends of Libby Hill Park recently crossed a major fundraising threshold to restore the green-gabled Park House perched atop the slope at the terminus of North 28th Street? Folks, it’s true: they did.

When I spoke last week with Barbara Cotter, the chair of the Church Hill Association’s (CHA) Parks and Beautification Committee, the group had just recently collected the ten-thousandth dollar to fund needed structural and cosmetic renovations on the century-old two-story building. “That doesn’t mean we wouldn’t [accept] more money,” she said, laughing.

Mo’ money, mo’ problems? In the case of the Libby Hill Park House, the problems are what the money is fo’. (I know this transition is completely unhinged, just… just go with it.) You wouldn’t necessarily know it looking at the buttercream-hued structure from, say, the patio at Poe’s Pub, but up close, it’s hard to miss all the stuff that needs fixing.

“The last restoration was done in the early Nineties, 1992 or 1993, so you have to think, we’re 33 years out from that,” said Cotter. In the intervening decades, the elements have taken their toll on the Park House. To properly repair it, she said, “We're expecting that we will probably have about four phases of work.” The roof, the windows and siding, and the porch all need meaningful renovation and/or replacement. The building’s lower basement also requires remediation for the way it currently traps humidity; moisture does no favors to an agéd edifice.

The cash on hand—some $10,000, donated by members of the community via the CHA’s 501(c)(3)—is earmarked for windows and sills, and certainly won’t cover the whole shebang. “[W]e'll probably have to look for more funding” to address the basement, Cotter told me.

Now that their fundraising haul has hit five figures, the group plans to reconvene with local architect Mary Lorino, who’s been volunteering her time and expertise to the project pro bono, and Parks and Recreation community engagement manager Kate Rivara, to flesh out an updated plan of attack. “We had some original figures” for estimated costs, explained Cotter, but materials and labor have only gotten more expensive since the effort began. The Accoya wood that the group hopes to use in the construction because of its durability and 50-year above-ground guarantee, for example, will likely cost $20,000 alone.

“It’s an astronomic cost,” she said. “The city has earmarked some money for this, but not enough to cover all that we need to do.”

What will happen if when all the repairs get done? The Park House, which has stood at its current location in one form or another since at least 1905, is currently only used as a storage location for landscaping equipment and neighborhood holiday decorations, and a rally-point for volunteers to get their assignments during events like Hog on the Hill. Even once fixed, it wouldn’t necessarily be suitable to rent out for full-scale park parties, because it lacks the plumbing for bathrooms. But Cotter is optimistic that once the building has been properly restored, it will once again be a gathering place for community events.

“When we had the bike races in 2015, the city used that as a central point when the finale occurred,” she recalled, referring to the Union Cycliste Internationale World Championships, which Richmond hosted that year. “My hope is once we get through through all of this, that we can also use it as a bandstand, because originally it was a bandstand in the late 19th century.”

Of course, that will take time—and money. The good news is The Friends of Libby Hill Park clearly know how to raise it. You can check out more on their mission and help keep the Park House funds flowing at their website.

📜 Possum Poetry

Possum Poetry is original verse written exclusively for The Lookout by Penelope Poubelle, the Lookout’s litter critter-at-large. If you spot roadside trash you’d like her to immortalize in doggerel, email a photo to [email protected]. All submissions anonymous!

⛔️ Wake up babe, new East End road closure just dropped

The Lookout has learned that earlier today the Richmond Department of Public Works (DPW) closed East Richmond Road between Jennie Scheer Rd. and Eanes Ln. According to a brief tweet from the department on February 7, this closure is necessary to replace bridges over Stoney Creek and Gillies Run, both of which intersect with the road; the project is scheduled to run through July 2026. DPW’s official detour (the light orange dashed line charted on the map above by The Lookout’s ace design department) will be quite the jaunt for commuters headed into the neighborhood from East Henrico County, and Church Hill residents who do their shopping at White Oak Village.

Road maintenance is a fact of city life, and ultimately a good thing. But this closure comes at a difficult moment for the East End, because E. Richmond Rd. was itself functioning as a detour for drivers trying to get around two other major closures in and out of the neighborhood. Government Rd. has been closed since November 2023 with no visible action in the intervening 15 months (lol), while the westbound lane of Williamsburg Rd. has been closed since July 2023 (that project’s “traffic impacts” are currently projected to conclude Summer 2025.) So uh… how is this gonna work in the meantime?

The Lookout reached out to DPW for more information on this closure. It didn’t immediately respond, so I’ve published what I know for now, and will hopefully have more reporting done for next week’s edition. In the meantime, if you know more about this apparent East End seal-off, send me a tip: [email protected].

📢 Happenings on The Hill

• Third time’s the charm?: After being rained out at least twice, the Richmond Tree Stewards and Church Hill Association hope to plant trees in Libby Hill Park tomorrow (2/15) from 10am-12pm. Sign up.

• “Portals”: Have you seen the windows on 17th Street that have been papered over with archival photos of Black Richmonders from the 19th and 20th centuries in honor of Black History Month? More details here.

• Power outage: The snow/ice storm knocked out power for about 100,000 Richmonders metro-wide, including ~55 neighbors in the East End. Dominion says it’s on it. 

• It’s that time again: The Church Hill Association’s monthly meeting is this coming Tuesday (2/18) at 7pm at St. John’s Church Parish Hall. See you there?

Happenings on The Hill is a digital bulletin board for events, causes, and other items of interest to East Enders that don’t necessarily merit full editorial treatment. Got something for a future edition? Email the relevant details, links, etc. to [email protected] for consideration!

📸 A Very CHill Photo

Want to share your Very CHill Photo from the neighborhood? Email it to [email protected] with your name as you’d like it to appear for publication, and the camera you shot it on.