Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-10-27
FEW RECREATION PLACES
IN DOWNTOWN SECTION
Survey Secretary OF Centenary Mis-
sion Finds Decided Lack of
Amusement Here.
ONE DISTRICT OF RooMERs
Discovers That 100000 People Have
to Walk Streets to Get Air-Wants
to Work Out Plan for Bcttcd Con-
ditiOnS.

That OF the 10000 people living in
the district embraced between First
and Twelfth Streets on one side and
the James River and Shockoe Bluff on
the other, 5000 are roomers and board
ers. including $500 working girls, and
that IS per cent of the homes in this
district take roomers and boarders,
was the statement made by Rev. A. c.
Zumbrunnen at the Broad Street Mctho-
dist Church yesterday morning.
DR.. Zumbrunnen is survey secretary
Of the home department. OF the centen-
airy mission program for Southern
Methodism. He has been in Richmond
for about six weeks making an IN
tcns!ve survey of the congestcd down
town district. with the idea of work
ing out plan for the bettcrment of
conditions discovered in his survey.
No FInce for Recreation.
An outstanding feature of DR.. Zum-
brunncn's survey was the total in
adequacy of rccrcational facilities in
the downtown section of Richmond. He
discovered that 100000 people go to
me movies every week and 10000 seek
cntcrtainment Since there are no
parks available, the streets. the movies
and the poolrooms and billiard parlors
necessarily offer the only available
Seek Streets for Air.
He estimated that 100000 people in
Richmond weekly sought the streets
from the conEested sections because
there was no other place to get a little
air, and SO the streets downtown were
hlled with "a great army of roomers
and boarders and hotel guests"
Particular attention was paid to the
subject OF the churches in this down
town district and what they were doing
in relation the community
Data in this respect could not be
secured from three of the churches
W,r,.,! Monumeniai Episcopal, st.
Churches. The total net gain for this
period for all the churches was 1871
Every church excepting Grace Street
period. 1t had decrease of fourteen
members. The average net increase
for all tho churches was 27.6 per cent
during that period or an average of
2-3 per cent per year.
OF the thirteen churches included in
the limits Of the survey conducted by
Or. Humbrunnen. one. he said. was NOV
ing out, one was dead, one was diving
and one had resurrected.
The one which had "rcsurrected" was
Broad Street Methodist.
Street Methodist Church already has
plans under way for raising $3.50. 600
TO meet the needs of the Immediate
section Of Richmond to which this
Has Social Program.
Broad Street Methodist proposes to
he TO Richmond The Church With the
social Program" The church edifice
OF the future will be tremendous
plant, with an auditorium seating 1900
when the movable partitions are
pushed back
There will be five distinct depart
ments or the church activities. First,
there will be the department. of wor-
snip and spiritual life: second. the
department. of religious education:
third, the department OF recreation;
fourth. the department of social life
and cntcrta inment. and fifth, the de-
partment of social service.
Iherc VIII be one superintendent of
the entire activities of the church and
under him heads OF each department.
IL IS understood that these will be maid
workers.. In the department of recrea-
uon there will be complete equipment
Tor an indoor rccreational program,
including large gymnasium.
The sunday school rooms will he
cGuipped TO take care of 1000 students
win separate classrooms II was
shown that in making Broad Street
Methodist Church The Church with
the Social Program" the most out.
standing needs of the downtown com
munl'y as shown in the survey would
be met.