Tobacco Row is a collection of tobacco warehouses and cigarette factories in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

adjacent to the James River and Kanawha Canal near its eastern terminus at the

head of navigation The head of navigation is the farthest point above the mouth of a river that can be navigated by ships. Determining the head of navigation can be subjective on many streams, as the point may vary greatly with the size or the draft of the ship be ...

of the

James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...

History

Beginning in the 18th century, many growers and shippers of Virginia's major cash-crop of tobacco maintained facilities there, as well as directly across the river at Manchester. Substantial multi-story brick buildings were constructed to protect the contents from loss due to fire. During the American Civil War (1861–1865), Tobacco Row was the site of infamous Libby Prison and nearby Castle Thunder, detention facilities of the

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...

government. In 1925, WRVA radio, owned by

Larus and Brother Company Larus and Brother Company (1877–1968) was a diversified tobacco company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. The company manufactured pipe tobacco, cigarettes, and charcoal. It also operated local radio and television stations. History Charles ...

, went on the air, broadcasting from a studio located in a corner of their House of Edgeworth warehouse, with a tower mounted on the roof of the building.

Adaptive Reuse

The area was vacated by the tobacco companies by the late 1980s. Following completion of Richmond's James River Flood Wall in 1995, led by Richmond developer William H. Abeloff, many of the old warehouses of Tobacco Row were modernized and converted into developments of loft apartments, condominiums, offices, and retail space along part of the restored canal system. One of the warehouses is home to the Virginia Holocaust Museum. In the mid 2010s, the neighborhood was introduced to the extreme western portion of the Virginia Capital Trail.

References

External links

Historic Richmond Foundation - Historic Areas: Tobacco Row

River District News

River Lofts at Tobacco Row
{{Richmond, Virginia neighborhoods Neighborhoods in Richmond, Virginia James River (Virginia) Warehouse districts of the United States Economy of Richmond, Virginia History of Richmond, Virginia Tobacco buildings in the United States

History

Adaptive Reuse

See also

References

External links