The Beginning (pre 1780) – Carrington Street is layed with cobblestone and named later after Edward Carrington, witness in 1775 to Patrick Henry’s famous “Give me liberty, or give me death!” speech while standing outside a window at St. John’s Church. Edward Carrington was a Revolutionary War Hero, and 1st Marshall of Virginia. From various historical data and maps we know that Carrington Street extended from 25th Street in Church Hill to as far west as 17th Street in Shockoe Bottom.
1780 – First Baptist Church of Richmond is formed at the corner of Pink and Carrington Street.
1890-1900 – The bulk of the housing stock on the north side of Carrington is constructed.
1906 – A portion of Henrico County is annexed by Richmond City of which Carrington is a part. Carrington Street served as the old border between these two entities and now is the connecting border between the Union Hill neighborhood to the south and Fairmount Neighborhood to the north.
1976 – With the construction of the Martin Luther King Bridge, Carrington Street is shortened to end at Mosby Street.
1960-1990 – The neighborhood sees a period of redlining and disinvestment and begins to fall into disrepair.
1994 – New Visions Civic League, Better Housing Coalition, and VCU Department of Planning and Community Development work together to create a plan focused on reviving Carrington Street called Church Hill: A Vision for the Future. This plan is presented to Richmond City Council.
2007 – The city adds sidewalks, trees, and a bench to the small triangle section of land they own at the intersection of Carrington, 23rd, and P Street.
2000-2015 – With continued neglect, most of the buildings built along Carrington Street are beyond repair and demolished. The city increases the number of property auctions due to the large amount of foreclosures. Developers begin to purchase empty lots along the Carrington Corridor.
2017 – New Visions Civic League produces the Carrington Street Study and presents it to 7th District City Council Representative Cynthia Newbille and the Director of the Department of Public Works, highlighting both safety concerns and infrastructure opportunities to form an inclusive and vibrant corridor in advance of new housing projects on the street.
2018 – Carrington Corridor Coalition is formed by residents, organizations, and developers. Over 10 organizations and 100 individual residents express their desire for Carrington Street’s restoration to the City Council Vice President.
2020 – New Visions Civic League, The Carrington Corridor Coalition, and VCU Department of Urban Planning work together in creating an updated roadmap and plan for Carrington Street based on community feedback. City officials did not take up the offer to participate.
2018-2021 – Approximately 70 new housing units are constructed within a half block radius of Carrington Street. Between 50 -100 new units potentially can be built in the next 5 years based upon current empty lot acreage, zoning, and goals of Richmond 300.
Present – Lines of communication with city representatives continue to be strained as the city has not taken actionable steps to address condition of street. Evidence of street neglect is visible with particular issues documented as early as 1972 and lay unaddressed at present. With the continued neglect, there are two results:
-Safety risks increase
-Missed opportunity to form a street infrastructure that curates and supports a lasting and vibrant neighborhood. Instead street is a detriment to neighborhood working against published goals of the City of Richmond