Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-05-26
vs,ue Of Downtown Property.


The prospect is that arrangements Will
be made TO run street-railway line across
Mayo's bridge.
II will be of service to thousands of peo-
ple who desire shorter route over the
river than either of the two existing car
lines gives.
We would like TO see downtown pro-
perry improve in value. and we may be
permitted TO doubt if the city can other
wise be as prosperous as she should be.
The rotten core has ever been the sign OF
worthless fruit.
with great industries springing up and
hundreds of dwelling houses rising IN the
East End; with the West End blossom
ING like the rose" il would be strange 1t
the property lying between these two sec
lions should be doomed 10 decay. Inc
first blow struck it was the building OF the
Free bridge. Before that time all COM
munication between the cities of Rich
mond and Manchester was over Mayos
bridge, and from its Richmond terminus
TO Main street, Fourteenth street was a
busy thoroughfare, while the tide OF travel
spread down to the Old market on the east
and up to tho post-office on the west.
The owners of Mayo's bridge long fought
the Free-bridge scheme, and even when the
latter's success was assured they would
not part with their property upon terms
which the Free-Bridge Commissioners
could consider. Thus it came about that
the new bridge was built, and the fact that
il was a free bridge while the old one con-
tinued a toll-bridge gave a direction to
travel which was not its natural direction,
and has had O very deleserlous erect
upon property values in q large section.
What was lost probably never can be re-
stored, but the further growth of the evil
may be prevented by a good street-car line
across Mayo's bridge. And If the cars OF
this line could freely interchange passen-
gers with the Main and Brosd-street lines,
we would probably see picking up" IN
business and in property values IN Jeffer-
son Ward. In our judgment the whole
community is interested in its prosperity.
As we'll expect wheel to be strong when
eaudy felloes and snowy spokes are fast
ened to a rotten hub, as for a city to pros
per with beautiful suburbs and handsome
avenues, and business centre where
values are not upward.
The movement of business cannot be
stayed. We do not expect that. Half a
century ago hundreds of families lived on
Main street. The retail trade needed the
upper floors they occupied and they were
driven away. Now, the retail trade to a
very considerable extent has disappeared
before wholesale houses, manufactures,
banks. and business Offices, but there is q
portion of the territory to which we refer
which is in a semi-transition state and IS
claimed by no particular branch of bust
ness but is divided between them, and en-
joys no great prosperity.
Neither newspaper articles nor litigation
can stem the tide when people yield TO the
fashion of moving from one neighborhood
TO another, but generally something can
be done in a helpful way. To this end
some time ago Broad-street viaduct was
proposed, but after full discussion it ap-
peared that the people proposed to be
benehted-or, at least, many of them-did
not wish the viaduct. 1t was also ascer-
tanned that the city could not spare the
money to build it. So ended that project.
In this era of electric and cable cars
the time cannot be very far distant when
there will be street-car line direct from
Chimborazo Park TO Richmond College.
The great Broad-street hill is not On OBJ
stacle which modern machinery cannot
overcome. 1t is a simple matter of money
and Of no absurdly large sum either.
Meanwhile the Church Hill people, if they
think them worth having, can, for the
asking, have cars running from their hill
| 10 Main street.
With cars from, Church Hill and cars
from Manchester on lower Main street, ii
seems to us that the downtown prospect
would be much improved. Something of
the old hum of business would be restored
to it, and in its good fortune all of the Other
sections radiating from it would become
| narticiDants