Demo started Tuesday on a rear portion of the Daniel Call House at Grace and Madison streets. (Jonathan Spiers photos)
With demolition underway on downtown’s Daniel Call House, preservationists are making a last-ditch effort to gain access to and document the historically notable building before it is gone.
Work started Tuesday on the planned demolition of the house, which has stood at 211 W. Grace St. for nearly a century but dates as far back as the late 1700s, when it was originally built at Broad and Ninth streets before being relocated and rebuilt with some structural alterations.
By Tuesday evening, an S.B. Cox demo crew had torn down a rear section of the house, while at the same time a group of preservationists was scrambling to see if they could be granted access to document the structure before the rest of it is razed.
Shown in 2022, the building is across Grace Street from the Richmond Police headquarters. (BizSense file photo)
“What we want the (owner) to do is let us inside the building or let us send someone from the state inside the building to document it, because it’s our cultural heritage from the 18th century,” said Michael Phillips, a local history advocate who two years ago helped organize efforts to spare the nearby Second Baptist Church building from the wrecking ball.
Phillips noted the house’s ties to its namesake, Daniel Call, an attorney and law reporter who bought the house in 1798 and took over John Marshall’s law practice when the Founding Father was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The house was later sold to Mann Valentine, who had it moved on rollers in 1850 to its current location, where it was disassembled and rebuilt in 1936.
Phillips said he had reached out unsuccessfully to the building’s owner, Henrico-based Bank Street Advisors, which purchased the property two years ago and applied for a demo permit from the city in September. The permit was issued Nov. 22.
“We’re not even asking that the building be saved right now,” Phillips said. “All we want to do is document the interior and the building for future generations.”
The 1939 rebuild included an addition on the west side of the house.
Reached Tuesday afternoon, Bank Street principal Christian Kiniry said he had spoken with local group Historic Richmond but did not elaborate on what was discussed.
“We’ve been open about our plans, and those plans are underway,” Kiniry said of the demolition. Kiniry previously has said that Bank Street does not have specific plans for the property beyond the demo at this point.
The city has deemed the structure as unsafe, and Kiniry has noted that it is not protected from demolition, such as by an easement. The 8,000-square-foot building is not listed on state or national historic registers.
Cyane Crump, Historic Richmond’s executive director, confirmed that the group had spoken with Bank Street and requested that the house be documented before it is fully demolished. She said photo-documenting a structure, even during demolition, can reveal information about construction methods and other historical details.
“We are appreciative of the owner meeting with us to discuss our request that the building be documented before it is demolished, and we are hopeful that that documentation will occur,” Crump said.
The Daniel Call House on Grace Street as it appeared in 1933, before it was disassembled and rebuilt. (File image courtesy Library of Congress)
Julie Langan, director of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, said she was hopeful that the house could be documented by an architectural historian, though she acknowledged that the demo could not be forcibly stopped.
“Given the property is owned by a private property owner and he has applied for and received a demolition permit, we’re really not in a position to stop the demolition,” Langan said.
She said questions remained as to how much of the original house remained in the building, which she said she’d understood had been “heavily altered.” When the house was rebuilt in 1936 by the former Frank A. Bliley Funeral Home, changes included a new porch and an addition off the building’s west side. Concrete walls also were added for fireproofing.
Stripped of its siding, the house is a block east of the recently built Parc View at Commonwealth apartments, visible at left.
“What I would hope might still be possible is for the owner to allow access by a trained architectural historian who could answer the question of how much original fabric remains and at a minimum document it,” Langan said. “Because right now, if it comes down and we haven’t done that, we don’t really know what’s been lost.”
Phillips, who studied architectural history at UVA and is a guest curator at Preservation Virginia, said the Daniel Call House is one of only four houses left downtown that date to the 18th century.
“There were thousands,” Phillips said. “To not let us gain insights from one that’s left is a really cruel and unusual thing.”
Demo started Tuesday on a rear portion of the Daniel Call House at Grace and Madison streets. (Jonathan Spiers photos)
With demolition underway on downtown’s Daniel Call House, preservationists are making a last-ditch effort to gain access to and document the historically notable building before it is gone.
Work started Tuesday on the planned demolition of the house, which has stood at 211 W. Grace St. for nearly a century but dates as far back as the late 1700s, when it was originally built at Broad and Ninth streets before being relocated and rebuilt with some structural alterations.
By Tuesday evening, an S.B. Cox demo crew had torn down a rear section of the house, while at the same time a group of preservationists was scrambling to see if they could be granted access to document the structure before the rest of it is razed.
Shown in 2022, the building is across Grace Street from the Richmond Police headquarters. (BizSense file photo)
“What we want the (owner) to do is let us inside the building or let us send someone from the state inside the building to document it, because it’s our cultural heritage from the 18th century,” said Michael Phillips, a local history advocate who two years ago helped organize efforts to spare the nearby Second Baptist Church building from the wrecking ball.
Phillips noted the house’s ties to its namesake, Daniel Call, an attorney and law reporter who bought the house in 1798 and took over John Marshall’s law practice when the Founding Father was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The house was later sold to Mann Valentine, who had it moved on rollers in 1850 to its current location, where it was disassembled and rebuilt in 1936.
Phillips said he had reached out unsuccessfully to the building’s owner, Henrico-based Bank Street Advisors, which purchased the property two years ago and applied for a demo permit from the city in September. The permit was issued Nov. 22.
“We’re not even asking that the building be saved right now,” Phillips said. “All we want to do is document the interior and the building for future generations.”
The 1939 rebuild included an addition on the west side of the house.
Reached Tuesday afternoon, Bank Street principal Christian Kiniry said he had spoken with local group Historic Richmond but did not elaborate on what was discussed.
“We’ve been open about our plans, and those plans are underway,” Kiniry said of the demolition. Kiniry previously has said that Bank Street does not have specific plans for the property beyond the demo at this point.
The city has deemed the structure as unsafe, and Kiniry has noted that it is not protected from demolition, such as by an easement. The 8,000-square-foot building is not listed on state or national historic registers.
Cyane Crump, Historic Richmond’s executive director, confirmed that the group had spoken with Bank Street and requested that the house be documented before it is fully demolished. She said photo-documenting a structure, even during demolition, can reveal information about construction methods and other historical details.
“We are appreciative of the owner meeting with us to discuss our request that the building be documented before it is demolished, and we are hopeful that that documentation will occur,” Crump said.
The Daniel Call House on Grace Street as it appeared in 1933, before it was disassembled and rebuilt. (File image courtesy Library of Congress)
Julie Langan, director of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, said she was hopeful that the house could be documented by an architectural historian, though she acknowledged that the demo could not be forcibly stopped.
“Given the property is owned by a private property owner and he has applied for and received a demolition permit, we’re really not in a position to stop the demolition,” Langan said.
She said questions remained as to how much of the original house remained in the building, which she said she’d understood had been “heavily altered.” When the house was rebuilt in 1936 by the former Frank A. Bliley Funeral Home, changes included a new porch and an addition off the building’s west side. Concrete walls also were added for fireproofing.
Stripped of its siding, the house is a block east of the recently built Parc View at Commonwealth apartments, visible at left.
“What I would hope might still be possible is for the owner to allow access by a trained architectural historian who could answer the question of how much original fabric remains and at a minimum document it,” Langan said. “Because right now, if it comes down and we haven’t done that, we don’t really know what’s been lost.”
Phillips, who studied architectural history at UVA and is a guest curator at Preservation Virginia, said the Daniel Call House is one of only four houses left downtown that date to the 18th century.
“There were thousands,” Phillips said. “To not let us gain insights from one that’s left is a really cruel and unusual thing.”
Very sad.
The old farmhouse was moved from it’s original location and altered no telling how many times,so I don’t see anything historical about it.I don’t see what’s there to document.Theres lots of abandoned farm houses throughout VA.if you want to count lumber.
I would recommend the book, “Material Witnesses,” which might enlighten you as to why it is critical to document this building which dates from 1798. It would, of course, be far better to save it, but seems the Bank is far more interested in a few dollars than in preserving a testament to history.
It was never a farmhouse! When built, it was a block away from the State Capitol in a heavily built urban setting.
Would’ve loved it if the house could’ve been carefully disassembled and moved to another location and carefully rebuilt – but at least if the developers/owners would pause demo long enough to allow for full documentation of the house and all its components, both interior and exterior (provided it’s safe to do so), it’s definitely worth it to have a complete record chronicling RVA’s architectural history.
Hope the developers will play ball and let the photos be taken.
The asphalt lot that will replace it will not have an historical or architectural pedigree either.
On a walk with my husband, about a month and a half ago, we passed by this structure and it looked fine. We’ve always made sure to walk past it when walking around this part of downtown. I was so thrilled to see this home still standing amidst the sea of change surrounding it, as it’s one of the few examples of period architecture from the 1700s still standing in Richmond. I’m completely stunned and saddened by the news of its demolition.
It’s period architecture from 1936 when the house was rebuilt,not 1700s.
What confuses me is the demo permit was issued 2 years ago. Have they been negotiating for two years to access the building or was this an 11th hour thing? In the elapsed time they could have done a laser scan of the building at about 1 day per room to scan. Processing of the scan can be done later.
It appears to me the the property owner(s) kept their intentions quiet. Preservationists, and people who care about issues like this one, don’t generally hang around City Hall daily to check on what demolition permits have been issued.
The City of Richmond should not only be ashamed for issuing the demo permit but also for not having a more robust process for reviewing requests such as this before they’re carried out on historic structures. Furthermore, the developer should be ashamed for tearing this house down for seemingly no reason and denying preservationists the opportunity to enter and document the house. It makes me sick to my stomach.
There is much interest nowadays, especially among younger people, in moving to cities like Richmond and enjoying the architecture, whether historically significant or not. The property owner could easily have found a buyer willing to pay the restoration costs.
There was a men’s shop there in 1984. I bought the pants and jacket for my wedding at that store – memories.
What a shame. Seems reasonable options weren’t considered in the quest to demolish. We should do better.
Hard to justify not letting the historical folks into the house to document it, but keep in mind that the developer purchased the property knowing they had the right to demolish it. That’s why they bought it. If someone wanted to save it, they could have purchased it when it was up for sale. As for the urgency, I have heard that kids and addicts were breaking in and hosting raves and using drugs inside the house (yep – right across the street from the police station). Unfortunately the owner has a liability there, and it’s understandable to just tear… Read more »
This is the thing. After the Great Pandemic, people realized that life is uncertain and it makes little sense to set aside anything for future generations. Why do this when noting matters but enjoying the moment now? We are on the cusp of a second great period of urban renewal. The Covid marked the flatlining of the Preservation Movement which really go going after NYC’s Penn Central RR Station was demolished. Heritage and culture have little value in a destabilized society. This does however offer on less drag on the economy as property owners are freer to do what they… Read more »