RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Richmond City Councilwoman Ann-Frances Lambert, whose district includes the site of the old Richmond Community Hospital in Richmond’s Northside, has announced that a community meeting will take place to discuss possible plans to demolish the historic building.
Richmond Community Hospital was founded by Sarah Garland Jones, the first Black woman licensed to practice medicine in Virginia, in 1907. The hospital was moved to Overbrook Road in the 1930s and was a critical health resource for Black Richmonders until it was moved again in the 1980s.
Today, the building on Overbrook Road is owned by Virginia Union University, which said that it is “past its usable life” and that they are exploring ways to “best use its historical presence.” This comes as the university looks to use $40 from a private investor to build new housing for its students.
Councilwoman Lambert released a statement on Tuesday, March 5, saying that she had heard from several community members speaking out in support of preserving the historic structure.
Lambert said in the statement that she spoke to the director of the city’s Planning and Review Department, who told her that the city has not received any applications to build on the property and that the building is not in a designated Old and Historic District, meaning the city could do nothing to stop the University from demolishing it and building something new on the land.
Lambert said that she asked the president of the university to meet with the community to discuss the potential redevelopment of the property. The date and location for that meeting have not yet been announced.
