Downtown
Must-See RVA! — Cameron & Cameron
A look into the history of Richmond places that are still part of our landscape.
![[RVCJ93] — showing Cameron & Cameron’s Tobacco Factory](https://rvahub.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Cameron-and-Cameron-1.jpg)
AKA, Kinney Tobacco Co., Cameron Kinney
2500 East Cary Street
Built, 1884
A family dedicated to making book on the weed.
(VCU) — 1889 Baist Atlas Map of Richmond — Plate 13 — showing the building’s original incarnation as the Kinney Tobacco Co., with Alex Cameron & Co Tobacco Factory right across the street
The firm of Alexander Cameron & Co. operates a plug tobacco factory here in Richmond; Cameron & Cameron are manufacturers of cigarettes, cheroots, smoking tobacco, long cut and cut plug at Richmond also. William Cameron & Bro. make plug, twist and navy tobaccos at Petersburg. The principals in Alexander Cameron & Co., are Alexander Cameron, of Richmond, and George Cameron, of Petersburg, and they are proprietors also of the Petersburg works. Alexander Cameron, Jr., is associated with them in their Australian trade, and is manager of all their affairs in the Antipodes.
(Find A Grave) — Alexander Cameron
Alexander Cameron & Co. have been established since 1865. Cameron & Cameron are successors to a business founded in the same year, and William Cameron & Bro. dates from 1856. The head of the house here and general manager of its affairs is Mr. Alexander Cameron. He personally directs the business, with the assistance of experienced heads of departments. He is considered one of the most enterprising, broad-minded and liberal residents of Richmond. Pie is accredited with a very large part in that industrial restoration which has come over the South, and especially this city, since the war.
(Antique Advertising Expert) — Cameron & Cameron tobacco tin
They make a specialty of high-grade goods, and have for their principal customers the best foreign and home trade.
They have, indeed, a world-wide business. Besides their vast Australian business, they have trade in India, South Africa and very largely, also, in all the British Isles, provinces and dependencies.
May 2019 — looking toward 2500 East Cary Street, western prominence
The plug tobacco factory of Alexander Cameron & Co. is situated at 2400 to 2422 Cary street, and 16 Twenty-fourth street. Their premises there comprise a brick factory on Cary street, 44 by 160 feet, and five stories high, and a warehouse and stemmery on Twenty-fourth street, 44 by 140 feet, and also five stories. The factory is fitted up with the most improved machinery, driven by a Green steam engine of 100 horsepower, with four boilers of 200 horse-power capacity, for drying purposes. From 200 to 300 hands are constantly employed in it, and it has a capacity for 1,500,000 pounds of manufactured tobacco yearly.
May 2019
The stemmery, also a massive brick structure, has a capacity for an equal amount of strips and leaf. The annual consumption of coal in the entire establishment is about 2,000 tons.
All styles of plug, twist and navy are produced from dark and bright leaf ; and from the stemmery are shipped dark and bright strips. The leading brands made in this factory are the “Venus,” “Queen of the Seas,” “St. Andrews,” “Our Game,” “Canary,” “Cinderella,” “Flower of All Nations,” “Cable,” “All the Rage,” “Double Pet,” “Signet,” “Havelock,” “Galatea,” “Apollo,” “Pioneer’s Delight,” “Gloria,” and Florinda.“
(iCollector) — a tin of Cameron & Cameron’s English Bird’s Eye
The cigarette, cheroot and smoking tobacco factory of Cameron & Cameron is, likewise, a prodigious works, comprehensively equipped, and is included in the block just described. They employ 250 hands here, and have a working capacity for a large output of cigarettes and cheroots, and of about 10,000 pounds of smoking tobacco a day. This factory is famous for its “Gold Medal,” “Golden Gate,” “Richmond Club,” “Favorite,” and “Purity” paper cigarettes; “Havanettes,” “Three and Five Beauties,” “Purity,” “Circle Club” “Cuban Sixes,” and “Favorite” cheroots; “Cuban Dainties,” “Little Darlings,” “Little Giants,” “Centennial Pets,” “Cameron’s Entire,” and “Old Hero” all tobacco cigarettes ; and their celebrated smoking mixtures, “Catac,” “Golden Square,” “Famosa,” “Richmond Club,” “Richmond Star,” “English Birdseye,” besides “Canuck,” “Purity,” “Raleigh,” “Virginia Bell,” “Favorite,” and other brands of tobacco, put up in all styles and shapes, which are celebrated, not only in this country, but in all parts of the world.
![[RVCJ93] — William Cameron and Company’s Petersburgh Factory](https://rvahub.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Cameron-and-Cameron-2-1024x638.jpg)
[RVCJ93] — William Cameron and Company’s Petersburgh Factory
William Cameron & Brother have their Petersburg factory at Perry and Brown streets, in that city. It is a handsome, lofty and imposing structure, of modern architectural design, which a city many times Petersburg’s size might well be proud to have. It occupies the site of the firm’s original factory, which was burned to the ground in 1878. It is four stories high, with an ornamental cupola, and has a front on Brown street of 180 feet, by a depth on Perry street of 240 feet. The offices, warehouse, engine-house and drying-rooms occupy separate buildings, which, together, form a spacious quadrangle, affording ample room for the special work of each department.
(Google Maps) — William Cameron and Company’s Petersburgh Factory today
But of still higher importance than even substantial and capacious buildings, is the machinery with which the various styles of plug, twist and navy tobacco are prepared, and in this respect Cameron’s factory is splendidly equipped. This machinery was manufactured from designs specially prepared for this factory, and is run with three boilers of 250 horse-power capacity and a 100 horse-power engine, and its own electric light plant.
This factory alone employs over 600 hands, which means, in other words, that it feeds nearly 3,000 mouths, and has a capacity of over 2,500,000 pounds a year. Its leading brands, the “Raven,” “Havelock,” “Two Seas,” “Orion,” “Canary,” “Our Chief,” “Peach and Honey,” “Mazeppa,” and “Pluck,” are famous wherever the virtues of superior aromatic “Cavendish” and “Twist” are appreciated.
May 2019 — 2500 East Cary street, eastern prominence
For many years past the management of this extensive and increasing business has received the personal attention of Mr. George Cameron, whose business ability and success have extended the firm’s operations year by year.
The appointments and facilities of the Australian factories of the Camerons are quite equal in every respect to those they maintain in this country. It is not so long since those at Sydney and Melbourne were enlarged and improved at a cost of over £20,000 each. At both of these Australian factories Messrs. Cameron & Bro. have also found it necessary to establish their own bonded warehouse to facilitate the trade there, and these warehouses are under the charge of officials detailed for that special duty by the Colonial Government.
(eBay) — a tin of Cameron & Cameron’s Richmond Club Mixture
The illustrations accompanying this matter show the external appearance of the Richmond and Petersburg factories of this house, and are somewhat an indication also of the scope of its remarkable business.
Mr. Alexander Cameron is an active participant, also, in the good work of the Chamber of Commerce.
May 2019 — show corbeling around the parapet & windows
Cameron & Cameron may be just an old factory, but despite the irritating Insidious Tree-Architecture Conspiracy making things difficult, it demonstrates how much craftsmanship went into the construction of such places. The highly detailed brick corbeling is completely unnecessary for an industrial building, but the builder did it anyway — an applaudable tip of the cap towards aesthetics.
(Cameron & Cameron is part of the Atlas RVA! Project)
Print Sources
- [RVCJ93] Richmond, Virginia: The City on the James: The Book of Its Chamber of Commerce and Principal Business Interests. G. W. Engelhardt. 1893.
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Community
Richmond Folk Festival Announces First Set of Performers
You’ll notice a well-known local band in the list performing at the best festival in the state of Virginia.
The Richmond Folk Festival returns October 13-15, 2023, and celebrates its 19th anniversary, having become one of Virginia’s largest events. The beloved festival draws fans each year to downtown Richmond’s riverfront to celebrate the roots, richness, and variety of American culture through music, dance, traditional crafts, storytelling, and food.
The free event hosts 200,000 people over a three-day weekend. Featuring six stages and showcasing music and dance from more than 30 performing groups from around the nation and the world, the Richmond Folk Festival today announces the first eight artists of what will once again make up a culturally diverse and artistically excellent program.
“We are looking forward to showcasing downtown Richmond’s ever-changing riverfront once again for a beautiful weekend of music, dance, food, and crafts with the James River and our city skyline as the perfect backdrop,” said Stephen Lecky, director of events at Venture Richmond. “This is the 19th year of the festival, and we couldn’t be more proud of its legacy in Richmond and across Virginia.”
The Richmond Folk Festival is presented by Venture Richmond Events in partnership with the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA), Virginia Humanities, Center for Cultural Vibrancy, Children’s Museum, and the City of Richmond.
Artists to be featured at the 2023 Richmond Folk Festival include:
- Baba Commandant & the Mandingo Band (Mandinka)
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso- Bio Ritmo (salsa)
Richmond, Virginia- Chuck Mead (rockabilly and honky-tonk)
Nashville, Tennessee- Genticorum (Québécois)
Montreal, Québec- Hālau ‘O Lilinoe (traditional Hawai’ian hula)
Carson, California- Kala Ramnath (Hindustani violin)
San Francisco, California- Melody Angel (Chicago blues)
Chicago, Illinois- Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper (bluegrass)
Charlestown, Indiana
Community
Activation Capital Announces Plans for Development of Innovation Center – A New Life Sciences Center at Bio+Tech Park
Activation Capital, an innovation ecosystem development organization, announced plans to develop the 102,000-square foot Innovation Center in the Bio+Tech Park in Richmond, Virginia.
The 34-acre Bio+Tech Park is a commercial life sciences hub in downtown Richmond adjacent to the VCU Medical Center at Virginia Commonwealth University and is home to over 70 companies, research institutes, and state/federal laboratories. Activation Capital recently announced Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin awarded Activation Capital a $15 million portion of a total $66.7 million in grant funding for life sciences projects in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Amy J. Broderick and Kate Hosko of Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer, along with David Thomann of Cushman & Wakefield’s Life Science Group in Boston, MA, have been awarded the exclusive leasing representation for the Innovation Center. Planned for delivery in late 2025, the center will feature approximately 35,000+ square feet of trophy class lab and creative office space for a lead tenant. Approximately 45,000 sf will be dedicated to an incubator operated by Activation Capital and will include shared labs, private offices, and community gathering spaces. The new building will be located at the corner of 8th Street and Jackson Street.
“As part of our strategic plan to create a thriving ecosystem, Activation Capital will build an Innovation Center that anchors downtown Richmond’s innovation hub and serves as a magnet for innovators to build and grow deep tech companies. Once complete, the Innovation Center will catalyze downtown redevelopment around wealth-creating jobs, boost entrepreneurial growth, strengthen the region’s end-to-end pharmaceutical manufacturing cluster, and act as a platform for upskilling community members with STEM programming,” said Chandra Briggman, President and CEO of Activation Capital
“In addition to their strong commercial real estate brokerage experience and national life science expertise, Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer was selected due to their alignment with Activation Capital’s values of agility, collaboration, entrepreneurial thinking, future-focus, impact, and inclusion,” said Kipton Currier, Vice President of Operations at Activation Capital. “The teams selected for the Innovation Center understand our commitment to the community, our excellence in execution focus, and our dedication to creating a nationally renowned life science innovation center for the benefit of future generations.”
Downtown
VCU Massey Cancer Center achieves comprehensive status from the National Cancer Institute
Massey’s receipt of the highest level of recognition from the NCI places it among an elite group of cancer centers influencing a new standard of care through research, education and community engagement.
VCU Massey Cancer Center has been designated a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the nation’s principal authority on cancer research and training. Massey’s receipt of the highest level of recognition from the NCI places it among an elite group of cancer centers influencing a new standard of care through research, education and community engagement.
Massey’s director, Robert A. Winn, M.D., is the first African American to lead a cancer center to comprehensive status. Under Winn’s leadership, Massey has effectively championed a community-centered approach, recognizing community members as equal experts and strategic partners in its research efforts.
“We are so proud to reach this milestone, and to be leading the charge not just in research but in building trust and breaking down barriers between medical institutions and communities,” said Winn, who also holds the Lipman Chair in Oncology at Massey. “We are truly the first of a new generation of community-focused cancer centers, where world-class science and research is informed by the people we serve, and accessible for all.”
Since beginning his tenure as director of Massey in December 2019, Winn has focused on taking Massey’s mission into the 66 contiguous localities in central, eastern and southern Virginia comprising Massey’s catchment area. With the community’s involvement, Massey has successfully increased clinical trial enrollment, expanded its transdisciplinary research collaboration and strengthened its cancer research training activities.
The NCI commended Massey for its significant strengths in the full spectrum of cancer research, robust pathway for cancer research training and education and plans to further enhance the diversity of its trainees and faculty.
The renewal of its Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) provides Massey with funding for its cancer research programs over five years and makes the cancer center eligible for additional information-sharing and resources reserved for the top institutions that demonstrate superior research capabilities.
The road to comprehensive status
Massey was one of the earliest cancer centers designated by the NCI in 1975, just four years after the NCI Cancer Centers Program was created as part of the National Cancer Act of 1971. The comprehensive designation is earned through a peer-review process demonstrating excellence in laboratory research, population science and clinical research.
NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers must conduct transdisciplinary research that bridges those three scientific areas, show that they are effective in addressing cancer concerns in their catchment area through effective community outreach and engagement, and that they integrate cancer training and education of biomedical scientists and community health care professionals.
“This important national designation reflects our mission and our commitment to the highest levels of treatment, research, prevention and control as we focus on improving and saving even more people’s lives,” said VCU and VCU Health President Michael Rao, Ph.D. “VCU and Richmond were among the first in the country to establish an NCI-designated Cancer Center, and I have pursued this comprehensive status for Massey soon after I came to VCU. During that time, we have taken our efforts to extraordinary levels to benefit all patients in need and the many communities we serve throughout our diverse Commonwealth. This comprehensive designation demonstrates that we put the needs of patients and our communities first. I am particularly grateful to my dear colleague, Rob Winn, for his extraordinary work in the last few years that catalyzed our ability to achieve this pinnacle level with the National Cancer Institute.”
Reducing the cancer burden in Virginia
With Massey’s new comprehensive status, those living in its catchment area are promised even greater access to life-saving cancer screenings and clinical trials offering leading-edge treatments, more resources for critical education about cancer risk and prevention, and care informed by the top scientific minds brought to Massey through recruitment as well as its training of the next generation of physician-scientists.
“This is an incredibly exciting moment for Massey and VCU Health, and for the patients and families who come through our doors,” said Paula Fracasso, M.D., Ph.D., FACP, deputy director of Massey and senior vice president of the cancer service line at VCU Health. “With the increased funding from our CCSG, we will have additional research dollars to extend our reach into the forefront of science and translational work, that will provide better ways to predict, prevent, diagnose and treat our patients with cancer.”
“We celebrate Massey’s achievement as a huge win for our entire institution, and one that will help us continue to raise the bar for excellence at VCU Health,” said Marlon Levy, M.D., FACS, interim senior vice president of VCU Health Sciences and CEO of VCU Health. “The dedication to innovative research and education and to advancing health equity is a clear reflection of our health system’s core values.”
Richmond Folk Festival Announces First Set of Performers
Activation Capital Announces Plans for Development of Innovation Center – A New Life Sciences Center at Bio+Tech Park
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