Downtown
RVA Legends — First Market & Cage
A look into the history of Richmond places and people that have disappeared from our landscape.
- AKA, Old Market, Seventeenth Street Market, 17th Street Farmers Market
- 100 North Seventeenth Street
- Built, 1794 (Cage & 1st building); 1854 (2nd building); 1912 (3rd building); mid-1980’s (4th building); 2019 (plaza)
- Demolished, 1827 (Cage); 1854 (1st building); 2nd building (1912); 1961 (3rd building); 4th building, 2015
A location of many incarnations.
[ORN] — from an insurance plat showing the original Market building (A) and Cage (B) — note the now-hidden Shockoe Creek flowing to the west of the Cage
The Building A on this plat is used as a Market house. Walls built of brick 126 feet long by 33 feet wide, 2 stories high covered with wood. The 2nd part is an addition to the said Market, 32 by 33 feet of one story in height.
The Building B is used as a Cage for disorderly persons. Walls build of Stone & Brick 52 feet in circumference three stories high with a dais. (illegible) these two Buildings are contiguous within 30 to each other, and are not contiguous within 30 feet to any other Building whatever. [ORN]
(Historical Richmond, Fiona Carmody) — showing a whipping post placed inside the market
As early as the 1780’s a market was established on the site of the present one now called “First Market,” “the Old Market” or the “Seventeenth Street Market.” At first it was only a wooden shed supported on locust-posts. Between it and Shockoe Creek was a green bank where women washed the clothes.
[RAW] — 2nd Market building built in 1854 — occupied by the Chahoon forces during the Municipal War of 1870
In 1794 a brick building replaced the primitive shed. Above it was a hall, which after the destruction of Quesnay’s Academy was used as a theatre. Before the erection of Mills’ City Hall, the Council had its meeting-room there. West of the market, as shown in the insurance-drawing, stood the “Cage,” or lock-up, of which institution and its unwilling tenants Mordecai gives a picturesque account. [ORN]
(Richmond Times-Dispatch) — Dementi Studio photograph of the 3rd Market building, date unknown but prior to World War II
Here were encaged (when caught) the unfeathered night-hawks that prowl for prey, and screeching owls that make night hideous, and black birds, who had flown from their own nests, to nestle elsewhere, like cuckoos; and some birds, both black and white, who had no nests at all were brought to roost here until that official ornithologist, the police master, should examine into their characters. This was a somewhat convenient arrangement to the citizen, who, on rising in the morning, missed the attendant on his household comforts, and as he went to market had only to look into the cage for his flown bird. [RBGD]
Truly, a multi-purpose campus, where shoppers could browse the foodstuffs and witness righteous punishment meted out via flogging. A little red meat to go with the veg; a Colonial-era version of Sports Clips. Good times.
(Richmond Times-Dispatch) — showing 4th Market building, which lasted from the mid-1980s to 2015
In 1854 a more commodious market was built. This also had a hall on the second floor which was often used for political meetings. The present “Old” or First Market dates only from 1913, and the oldest of the stores surrounding it goes back only to the 1830’s, but the location and atmosphere of the market are among the few things that have remained relatively static in a city that has changed practically everything that could be changed. [ORN]
May 2019 — showing the revamped First Market plaza, which formally opened in March 2019
The Farmers’ Market continued to prosper and undergo renovations until the mid 1900’s. It was during this time that the Shockoe Bottom area began to decline. The era of “bigger is better” came, and supermarkets were the modern answer to our grocery needs and family farmers were seduced by the regular paychecks offered by factories. The First Market House was razed in 1961 and the Farmers’ Market was reduced to scattered vendor stalls, but the predicted total demise never happened. (City of Richmond)
May 2019 — showing the bronze bell from the 3rd Market building
Indeed, there is no keeping this location down, as popular as it seems to be. In 2015, the 4th version of the Market space was reclaimed by the City of Richmond in an attempt to convert it to a public space, while still maintaining a gesture to its roots.
The significantly revised public plaza still carries the memories of the buildings that have gone before it, including the old bronze bell from the 3rd Market building, and the bullheads from the 4th building, which were actually rescued from the Second Market, which used to live at Sixth and Marshall Streets.
May 2019 — showing one of the two terra-cotta bulls that were displayed at the 4th Market building
This new space will still continue to host a weekly farmers market, but will also play host to festivals, music, art, vendors, educational programming, and whatever else comes along. Given the transformation of Shockoe Bottom and Church Hill over the last 10 years and the vast foot traffic, this just might be a formula for success.
Despite the fact that the new plaza is there for us to see, there are so many buildings lost to us that this is an RVA Legend. So let it be written.
(First Market & Cage is part of the Atlas RVA! Project)
Print Sources
- [ORN] Old Richmond Neighborhoods. Mary Wingfield Scott. 1950.
- [RAW] Richmond After the War. Michael B. Chesson. 1981.
- [RBGD] Richmond in By-Gone Days. Samuel Mordecai. 1946, from the 2nd edition, 1860.
RVA Legends is a regular series
appearing on rocket werks – check it out!
Downtown
Feds identify ‘significant’ ongoing concerns with Virginia special education
After failing to meet federal requirements to support students with disabilities in 2020, the Virginia Department of Education will remain under further review by the federal government after continuing to fall short in monitoring and responding to complaints against school districts, according to a letter from the U.S. Department of Education.
By Nathaniel Cline
After failing to meet federal requirements to support students with disabilities in 2020, the Virginia Department of Education will remain under further review by the federal government after continuing to fall short in monitoring and responding to complaints against school districts, according to a letter from the U.S. Department of Education.
“We have significant new or continued areas of concerns with the State’s implementation of general supervision, dispute resolution, and confidentiality requirements” of IDEA, stated the Feb. 17 letter from the Office of Special Education Programs.
The U.S. Department of Education first flagged its concerns in a June 2020 “Differentiated Monitoring and Support Report” on how Virginia was complying with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, following a 2019 visit by the Office of Special Education Programs.
IDEA, passed in 1975, requires all students with disabilities to receive a “free appropriate public education.”
The Virginia Department of Education disputed some of the federal government’s findings in a June 19, 2020 letter.
Samantha Hollins, assistant superintendent of special education and student services, wrote that verbal complaints “are addressed via technical assistance phone calls to school divisions” and staff members “regularly work to resolve parent concerns” by providing “guidance documentation” and acting as intermediaries between school employees and parents.
However, some parents and advocates say systemic problems in how the state supports families of children with disabilities persist. At the same time, a June 15, 2022 state report found one of Virginia’s most critical teacher shortage areas is in special education.
“Appropriate policies and procedures for both oversight and compliance, and their implementation, are crucial to ensuring that children with disabilities and their families are afforded their rights under IDEA and that a free appropriate public education (FAPE) is provided,” said the Feb. 17 letter from the Office of Special Education Programs.
While the U.S. Department of Education wrote that it believes the Virginia Department of Education has resolved some of the problems identified in 2020, including resolving complaints filed by parents and creating a mediation plan, it said it has identified “new and continued areas of concern” and intends to continue monitoring Virginia’s provision of services for students with disabilities.
Among those are ongoing concerns over the state’s complaint and due process systems that “go beyond the originally identified concerns” originally found. The Office of Special Education Programs writes it has concluded Virginia “does not have procedures and practices that are reasonably designed to ensure a timely resolution process” for due process complaints.
The department also said it has concerns over the practices of at least five school districts that are inconsistent with IDEA’s regulations.
The decision comes after the U.S. Department of Education announced in November that Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia’s largest school district, failed to provide thousands of students with disabilities with the educational services they were entitled to during remote learning at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Virginia is also facing a federal class-action lawsuit over claims that its Department of Education and Fairfax County Public Schools violated the rights of disabled students under IDEA.
Parents involved in the case said the Virginia Department of Education and Fairfax school board “have actively cultivated an unfair and biased” hearing system to oversee challenges to local decisions about disabled students, according to the suit.
Charles Pyle, a spokesman for the Virginia Department of Education, said in an email that “VDOE continues to work with our federal partners to ensure Virginia’s compliance with all federal requirements, as we have since the ‘Differentiated Monitoring and Support Report’ was issued in June 2020.”
The federal government said if Virginia could not demonstrate full compliance with IDEA requirements, it could impose conditions on grant funds the state receives to support early intervention and special education services for children with disabilities and their families.
Last year, Virginia received almost $13.5 billion in various grants linked to IDEA, according to a July 1, 2022 letter to former Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow, who resigned on March 9.
James Fedderman, president of the Virginia Education Association, blasted Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration after the findings were released.
“While the Youngkin administration has been busy waging culture wars in schools, his administration has failed to meet basic compliance requirements with the U.S. Department of Education for students with disabilities,” Fedderman said. “This failure threatens our federal funding for students with disabilities and is a disservice to Virginia families who need critical special needs support.”
Downtown
Richmond 911 callers can soon provide feedback on calls for service via text message
Beginning March 20, those who call 911 with some types of non-life-threatening emergencies will receive a text message within hours or a day after the call with a short survey about the service they received on the call.
Some 911 callers in Richmond will begin to receive follow-up text messages next week asking for their ranking of the service they received and additional information.
Beginning March 20, those who call 911 with some types of non-life-threatening emergencies will receive a text message within hours or a day after the call with a short survey about the service they received on the call.
The Richmond Department of Emergency Communications, Preparedness and Response is using the feedback from callers as another way to ensure that it is continuing to deliver excellent emergency services to Richmond.
“It is very important that those who receive the text message answer the questions as accurately as possible, based on the service they received on the call, not on the response from first responders with different agencies,” said Director Stephen Willoughby. “We use the feedback that callers provide to monitor and improve our 911 services to Richmond residents and visitors, as well as the other measurements of service that we have in place.”
Those who would like to offer feedback, but do not receive a text message, are encouraged to email [email protected] or call 804-646-5911. More information about offering commendations or filing a complaint is on the department’s website athttps://www.rva.gov/911/comments. In addition, the department conducts a full survey of adults who live, work and study in Richmond every two years. More information about those surveys and results are at https://www.rva.gov/911/community-outreach.
The Department of Emergency Communications, Preparedness and Response is using a third-party vendor, PowerEngage, to send the text-message surveys and report the results. Text messages may be sent for other uses in the future.
More information about the text-message surveys, from the news release:
- The answers that callers provide in the text message have no effect on the service provided to that caller.
- Callers who do not want to participate in the text-message survey would simply not respond to the text message. They also may reply STOP to opt out of future text surveys from DECPR.
- Callers should not use the surveys to report any other emergency or request help. They would need to call or text 911 for immediate help. To file a police report or request nonemergency public safety help, call 804-646-5100. For other city services, call 311, visit rva311.com or use the RVA311 app.
- Those who have further questions or would like to request a call-back from a staff member about the survey or their experiences, may email [email protected].
- More information about the after-call survey is at https://www.rva.gov/911/survey.
Students in 9th-11th grade can apply to join the next cohort of this summer’s Atlas Artist Residency—an 8-week art intensive giving teens the opportunity to develop artistic skills while working alongside professional artists in a creative and collaborative environment. 10 teens will be selected to participate and awarded personal art-studio space, a program stipend of $1350, materials, and the opportunity to expand their portfolio of work and bolster their resume for college applications.
Applications are open through March 16, 2023.
Head to https://www.art180.org/student-artist-residency for the details and to submit your application!
University of Richmond announces new provost
Henrico HS principal honored with REB Leadership Award; Colonial Trail ES principal is runner-up
Photo of the Day: Sunset Road
City hosting public meeting on replacement of Byrd Park Reservoir roof
Photo of the Day: Kaleidoscope
Gardeners Wanted to Help in Forest Hill Park
Husband-and-wife duo bringing new restaurant concept to former Mill on MacArthur space
New full-service commercial kitchen, fast casual food hall opens Wednesday
Richmond Falcon Cam is Back
