The building has 35-foot ceilings and dates to 1900. (BizSense file photos)
The game plan to transform the Haxall Canal hydro plant into a racquet sports venue has been put into play.
Local development firm Thalhimer Realty Partners and Washington, D.C.’s Nordheimer Cos. this week purchased the former hydroelectric plant at 1201 Haxall Point for $3.15 million.
The firms also confirmed this week that they’re preparing to convert the 124-year-old plant into Padel Plant, a venue with about a half-dozen padel courts plus a few pickleball courts and a food-and-beverage concept.
Padel (pronounced pa-del) is a cross between tennis and squash. It’s played with thicker, perforated paddles and a ball that’s slightly smaller than a tennis ball. At 66 feet by 33 feet, padel’s turf courts are more than twice as large as pickleball courts, which measure 44 feet by 20 feet. Padel courts also are enclosed in glass walls, off which the ball can be played.
“The biggest difference is that it can be played off the wall. That adds another dimension to the game and makes it a whole lot more dynamic,” said Nordheimer Cos. associate Samuel Nordheimer.
“The age range for padel is quite wide but not as wide as pickleball. It’s a lot more engaging for people who really like to be athletic,” he said.
Padel Plant’s courts would mostly be inside the 19,000-square-foot plant building, with plans for one or two to be outdoors. TRP principal Drew Wiltshire said the pickleball courts at Padel Plant would all be indoors.
Nordheimer Cos. does most of its work developing multifamily properties in its hometown of D.C. It connected with TRP years ago through The Altamont apartments at 1620 Altamont Ave. in Scott’s Addition, a 31-unit converted Chevrolet factory that Nordheimer owns and Thalhimer manages.
After discovering and falling in love with padel a few years ago, brothers Samuel and Alex Nordheimer said they began kicking around the idea of opening a padel venue but struggled to find the right location.
“We finally found the hydro plant,” Alex said. “We were like, ‘Holy crap. This is the one.’”
“We feel we have the perfect use for a very unique building,” Wiltshire added.
Located along the Canal Walk, the hydro plant was built to provide electricity to downtown Richmond before shutting down over 50 years ago. In the past decade, under the ownership of Baltimore-based Cordish Cos., it’s gone on and off the market before Thalhimer and Nordheimer put it under contract last fall.
The hydro plant structure will remain intact as Nordheimer and TRP retrofit it to become Padel Plant. The project qualifies for historic tax credits. The building sits in the Shockoe Slip Historic District.
The building sports many murals facing the Canal Walk.
Padel Plant is planned to include some sort of food-and-beverage component, but details on that have yet to be finalized. Wiltshire said the developers are hoping to work with a local restaurant operator to run a full-service, indoor/outdoor restaurant at the plant.
The Nordheimers said that Padel Plant would operate like a club, in which folks can join and receive discounts and other perks, but that the courts and the restaurant would be open to the public.
“We’re planning to make (padel) more accessible and we want to make this almost like a social hub for the Canal Walk to really bring life back to it,” Samuel Nordheimer said.
“Our real goal is to spread the ‘padel’ word and educate people,” Wiltshire said. “I think the facility will do a lot to get people interested in it. Once people are, it’s pretty addicting.”
Walter Parks Architects is designing Padel Plant. A general contractor has not yet been selected for the project. Wiltshire said the hope is to finalize designs in the coming weeks, begin work in the spring and have Padel Plant open this summer.
“The structure is very sound,” Wiltshire said. “We don’t anticipate a lengthy build-out.”
Though it’s been years since the power plant itself was fired up, the building’s become known in recent years for the myriad murals on its walls that face the canal.
The developers are planning to make some alterations to the façade, but Wiltshire said the plan is to preserve the existing murals and give previous muralists opportunities to paint new ones on the building.
“(The murals) are something we think are actually an asset for the project. We intend to retain them as we redevelop it,” Wiltshire said.
The hydro plant and its 1-acre parcel were most recently assessed by the city at $1.7 million.
The building has 35-foot ceilings and dates to 1900. (BizSense file photos)
The game plan to transform the Haxall Canal hydro plant into a racquet sports venue has been put into play.
Local development firm Thalhimer Realty Partners and Washington, D.C.’s Nordheimer Cos. this week purchased the former hydroelectric plant at 1201 Haxall Point for $3.15 million.
The firms also confirmed this week that they’re preparing to convert the 124-year-old plant into Padel Plant, a venue with about a half-dozen padel courts plus a few pickleball courts and a food-and-beverage concept.
Padel (pronounced pa-del) is a cross between tennis and squash. It’s played with thicker, perforated paddles and a ball that’s slightly smaller than a tennis ball. At 66 feet by 33 feet, padel’s turf courts are more than twice as large as pickleball courts, which measure 44 feet by 20 feet. Padel courts also are enclosed in glass walls, off which the ball can be played.
“The biggest difference is that it can be played off the wall. That adds another dimension to the game and makes it a whole lot more dynamic,” said Nordheimer Cos. associate Samuel Nordheimer.
“The age range for padel is quite wide but not as wide as pickleball. It’s a lot more engaging for people who really like to be athletic,” he said.
Padel Plant’s courts would mostly be inside the 19,000-square-foot plant building, with plans for one or two to be outdoors. TRP principal Drew Wiltshire said the pickleball courts at Padel Plant would all be indoors.
Nordheimer Cos. does most of its work developing multifamily properties in its hometown of D.C. It connected with TRP years ago through The Altamont apartments at 1620 Altamont Ave. in Scott’s Addition, a 31-unit converted Chevrolet factory that Nordheimer owns and Thalhimer manages.
After discovering and falling in love with padel a few years ago, brothers Samuel and Alex Nordheimer said they began kicking around the idea of opening a padel venue but struggled to find the right location.
“We finally found the hydro plant,” Alex said. “We were like, ‘Holy crap. This is the one.’”
“We feel we have the perfect use for a very unique building,” Wiltshire added.
Located along the Canal Walk, the hydro plant was built to provide electricity to downtown Richmond before shutting down over 50 years ago. In the past decade, under the ownership of Baltimore-based Cordish Cos., it’s gone on and off the market before Thalhimer and Nordheimer put it under contract last fall.
The hydro plant structure will remain intact as Nordheimer and TRP retrofit it to become Padel Plant. The project qualifies for historic tax credits. The building sits in the Shockoe Slip Historic District.
The building sports many murals facing the Canal Walk.
Padel Plant is planned to include some sort of food-and-beverage component, but details on that have yet to be finalized. Wiltshire said the developers are hoping to work with a local restaurant operator to run a full-service, indoor/outdoor restaurant at the plant.
The Nordheimers said that Padel Plant would operate like a club, in which folks can join and receive discounts and other perks, but that the courts and the restaurant would be open to the public.
“We’re planning to make (padel) more accessible and we want to make this almost like a social hub for the Canal Walk to really bring life back to it,” Samuel Nordheimer said.
“Our real goal is to spread the ‘padel’ word and educate people,” Wiltshire said. “I think the facility will do a lot to get people interested in it. Once people are, it’s pretty addicting.”
Walter Parks Architects is designing Padel Plant. A general contractor has not yet been selected for the project. Wiltshire said the hope is to finalize designs in the coming weeks, begin work in the spring and have Padel Plant open this summer.
“The structure is very sound,” Wiltshire said. “We don’t anticipate a lengthy build-out.”
Though it’s been years since the power plant itself was fired up, the building’s become known in recent years for the myriad murals on its walls that face the canal.
The developers are planning to make some alterations to the façade, but Wiltshire said the plan is to preserve the existing murals and give previous muralists opportunities to paint new ones on the building.
“(The murals) are something we think are actually an asset for the project. We intend to retain them as we redevelop it,” Wiltshire said.
The hydro plant and its 1-acre parcel were most recently assessed by the city at $1.7 million.
This is very exciting. That building has been sitting empty for so long, one of the last of the City dinosaurs to be repurposed. And, now, for a combo of athletics and restaurant. I wish the developers the best in seeing this through.
Ditto on all that!
I wonder if this outstanding redev might help catalyze developments in the immediate area that have been on hold for the last couple of years? I’m thinking specifically of Tom Papa’s proposed Locks 7 and 8 residential buildings that renderings show would flank the canal just east of this site. Perhaps if construction costs and interest rates come down in the near and intermediate term, we’ll see some of these planned developments start to move forward. This repurposing of the old electric building would then be a fine complement to these other proposed developments. Bruce, would you happen to have… Read more »
This is not an insight on what Papa and his partners are doing but more so on the apartment development industry as a whole. That business took a bit of a bit of recess in 2023 as lenders cranked up rates and the number of units in the pipeline has reached historic levels. The demand for more apartments continues to climb but the supply has outstripped that demand for the first time in many years. Developers have been dealing with material shortages, labor shortages, rising land and energy costs, and backlogs in the permitting processes but for the first time… Read more »
I may be wrong, but I think these would be the first padel courts anywhere near Richmond. Finally, I can play again after leaving Florida. Exciting news.
Bobby, you are correct. Currently the only padel court I am aware of in all of Virginia is in Charlottesville at The Greencroft Club. The next closest would be in Raleigh or Baltimore.
If it’s of interest, here is a list I put together for my padel site, The Padel State, of everywhere you can currently play padel in the U.S. Looking forward to adding Padel Plant to the list and seeing it in person. Should be a spectacular venue!
Richmond became a pickleball hub in the Mid-Atlantic in very large part by being one of the first metros to have dedicated courts over ten years ago (thank Linda and Dave Scott for that, the Scott Pickleball Center at Rockwood Park exists because of their tireless efforts). If RVA is destined to become a leader in padel as well – and I hope it does – then having a dedicated facility like this is the prerequisite to make that effort take off. Very exciting times for both padel and pickleball in RVA,
I love all the hopefulness and enthusiasm; I just see repeats of the pool hall tried downtown at JM. I mean is there enough demand from the downtown residents? Are you going to pay $5-$10 to come downtown to park to play pedal ball which will probably cost you $10 bucks or more if you are not already in the area. Restaurants are closing downtown cause foot track is poor but an area that only see runners, walkers, and bikers next to empty office tower, isolated and with limited parking is the ideal spot in the metro for court? PS… Read more »
The appeal of athletic endeavors will bear out greater than those of shooting pool. I can’t see the comparison. Thousands of people are moving downtown again. They need something to do athletically which can be accommodated in small areas. Baseball, soccer and football require large fields and are suburban sports. This seems like a great fit for an urban environment.
what no city taxes? How does a 50 year vacant industrial property get historic status? Oh yeah, developer money helps. Tired of rising property taxes and 13.5% added to my restaurant bill, time for a revolt
This is wonderful that they are keeping this wonderful building & not tearing it down like they are doing to other good old building in Richmond! Excellent!! I am happy they are keeping the murals!!!!
Totally agree!
Where’s “Sharon”??
“Thwock, thwock, thwock!”
Always loved that building, I dreamt of if I ever got the guts to start my own business that would make a cool home office. Glad to see it get some life in it, hope that it does not echo to much in that canal walk. Looking forward to seeing more foot traffic on the canal and the food options.
I’m curious if anyone in the city is talking about returning this to use as a hydroelectric power plant. If Richmond wants to hit zero emissions, we have an obvious renewable energy source that used to exist. This could be a city-owned utility, replacing revenue from Richmond Gas Works.