page_title: Gambles Hill
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Gambles Hill / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Description: Situated at the southern extremity of 3rd and 4th street, Gamble's Hill Park, though limited in area, commands a magnificent panoramic view of the falls of the James River and the surrounding countryside. Winding the foot of the hill is the old James River and Kanawha Canal, the tow path of which being now occupied by a division of the C &amp; O Ry. The stone cross appearing in this view was erected to commemorate the first visit of white men to [the] present site of Richmond, in 1607 when Capt. John Smith and party ascended the river as far as the falls. Manufacturer: Southern Bargain House, Richmond, Va. Date Postmarked: Not postmarked. Rights: This item is in the public domain. Acknowledgement of the Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries as a source is requested. Reference URL: dig.library.vcu.edu/u?/postcard,656 Collection: Rarely Seen Richmond: Early twentieth century Richmond as seen through vintage postcards
context_page_description: Gambles Hill is a neighborhood near Downtown Richmond, Virginia. The neighborhood contains the Virginia War Monument, Historic Tredegar, Brown's Island and the WestRock Corporation.
context_section_description: Modern day Gambles Hill was first occupied by William Byrd III in 1760, where he built his estate atop what is now Gambles Hill. Nine acres of his estate was donated to Gambles Hill Park, which became one of the first public parks in Richmond.  In 1800, John Harvie commissioned the construction of a house atop a hill overlooking the James River. Robert Gamble subsequently purchased the property from Harvie, alluding to the community's present day name. As part of the City Beautiful Movement, many of the homes in the neighborhood were destroyed to make way for public parks and gardens between Gamble's estate and the James River, and so that there was a view of the river from the mansion. In 1854 architect William Pratt constructed a castle among other houses atop Gambles Hill, which became known as Pratt's Castle.  
  Nearly a century later, in 1957, the Ethyl Corporation purchased six acres of property atop Gambles Hill, including Pratt's Castle. Pratt's Castle was ultimately destroyed and replaced with the Ethyl Corporation Building, a Classical Revival structure designed by Carneal and Johnston architects, and a landscape by Charles Gillette. Alluding to the history of the neighborhood the Ethyl Corporation wanted to the complex to be a campus with various landscape architecture elements. Landscape architecture Gillette designed an open lawn lined with crape myrtles and  a buffer of perimeter shrubs. To the rear of the building, Gillette installed a rectilinear garden with symmetrical parterres lined by oaks, magnolias, and brick walks. The structure still stands today and takes up a majority of the neighborhood. Several empty fields around the property remain open, where old neighborhoods were demolished.
caption: Gamble's Hill Park, early 20th century
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