Broad Street Station (1976)
Science Museum of Virginia (2016)
Site Name:
Science Museum of Virginia (Formerly Broad Street Station, Hermitage Country
Club, and Union Station)
Date of Construction:
Completed 1904 (Remodeled in 1919 and 1975)
Reason for
Construction: The station was built due to increased growth of the western
part of the city of Richmond and the idea to turn that area into a higher-class
residential district.
Site History: The
Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad lines (RF&P) bought the fairgrounds
near Broad and Davis streets in 1904. They then built Hermitage Country Club so
that Richmond’s upper class could take the train around the city. Richmond
started growing and RF&P wanted to build a residential district on the
grounds, but that idea wasn’t realized. However, RF&P along with Richmond
and Petersburg Railway held a worldwide competition for being the architect for
“Union Station.” The famous architect John Russell Pope was chosen and he
designed the building in a new-at-the-time, Neoclassical style. The project
took from 1917 until 1919, during which increase in material cost due to WWI
and a need for skilled workers significantly slowed progress. The station, when
finally built late and over-budget, was referred to by the public as “Broad
Street Station,” which became very busy and popular, and peaking during World War
II. After the war, the station’s popularity was on a decline as many railroad
stations in the city began to close. Seaboard passengers were redirected from
Main Street Station to Broad Street Station in 1958 and in 1972, Amtrak took
the rest of the passenger trains in Richmond and moved them to a station on
Staples Mill Road. RF&P then sold the abandoned station to the Virginia
State government, when plans were made to demolish it to make an office park.
However, the state permitted the newly-formed Science Museum to occupy the
space of the ex-station while plans were still being made for the park, but the
museum became increasingly popular and permanent. Finally, the park was inevitably
built around the Science Museum, and in 1977, the first exhibit gallery opened
commemorating the 58th anniversary of the building, and showing the long
history of how it came to be.
Area History: The
fairgrounds originally bought by RF&P used to be the location of Civil War
encampments. Those grounds also housed the State Fair at the time and had ball
parks on it. Once the city became more popular and the station was built, the
area became a place for leisurely citizens to take the train around the city.
The area got busier during World War I and World War II, with many people
moving through the city, until it started declining after World War II because
there was less need for travelling through the city since the war ended.
Currently, Broad Street and the Science Museum are very popular areas in the
city.
What about the site
has changed? : The site has undergone significant changes in its lifetime.
First it was just fairgrounds with leisure that also served as encampment
ground during the Civil War. Then, it was Hermitage Country Club, with rail
service for the middle-upper class of Richmond, after which it was revamped and
redesigned by a famous architect in the neoclassical style. Finally, after the
station stopped being used for transport, the building was converted into use
for the Science Museum of Virginia, as it is today.
What about the
surrounding area has changed? : The area around Broad Street and Davis
Street used to be a fairground for leisure or war encampments, but it changed
into a hub for the gentry of Richmond. After the station was built, the area
became very busy as people travelled through it, the popularity peaking during
the World Wars, and finally declining around the 1970s. After that, it was
converted into the Science Museum from which more people were attracted. Now
it’s a busy area of the city with many shops and buildings for the public.
Sources:
National Park Services.
"Broad Street Station." nps.gov. Accessed February 17, 2016. http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/richmond/BroadStreetStation.htmll.
United States Department of
the Interior National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places
Inventory - Nomination Form, Misc. Doc. No. 127-226 (1972). Accessed February
17, 2016. http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Cities/Richmond/127-0226_Broad_Street_Station_1972_Final_Nomination.pdf.
Robbins, Mike. Broad
Street Station. Photograph. Vintage Richmond. September 8, 2011. Accessed
March 30, 2016. http://vintagerva.blogspot.com/2011/09/broad-street-station-tracks-1976.html.
Reflection: I’ve learned so much from this project during the course of my research. I had no idea a building I visit for volunteering on a regular basis had such a complicated and interesting history. I especially didn’t know that the design and beauty of the building was created by the famous architect Pope; I’ve seen the beautiful design of the building but I didn’t know about that fact. Overall, I was just blown away by how in depth the history behind the museum was and how it evolved over time.
Author: Akshata Pisharody
Extra Picture: (Taken by the Author)
Extra Picture: (Taken by the Author)
(Out of Commission Railcar, 2016)
