Fourth Police Precinct Project in Northside

WHAT: Fourth Police Precinct Project in Northside in Richmond, Virginia.

WHERE: Fourth Police Precinct at 2219 Chamberlayne Avenue.

ARTIST: Jonathan Cox, www.jonathancoxsculpture.com

DEDICATED: 2009

DESCRIPTION: The five stainless steel and cast glass adorn the Fourth Police Precinct on Chamberlayne Avenue in an area of Northside bereft of much artistic value. The beacon is 23’ X 4’ X 4’ and stands on the southern end of the building in a brick circle with flowers.  The four stainless steel pieces on the front wall of the building are named “Focus,” “Partnership,” “Cooperation” and “Diversity.” Each is approximately 6’-7’ in diameter.

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I drive by this building about every other week and love to look at this oasis of art among all the rundown, dilapidated and unattractive storefronts and businesses on Chamberlayne Avenue. Combined with the presence of “Thin Blue Line” on the east wall of the Richmond Police Department headquarters at 200 West Grace Street in the Monroe Ward District, the police are helping contribute to the art community and complying with the goal of having public art displays with city buildings.

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‘Connecticut’ found a new home at Lucky Strike in Shockoe Bottom

WHAT: Statue of “Connecticut” in Shockoe Bottom in Richmond, Virginia.

WHERE: Lucky Strike building at 2700 East Cary Street in Shockoe Bottom.

ARTIST: Paul Dipasquale

DEDICATED: November 6, 2010. (September 10, 1983 at The Diamond)

DESCRIPTION: This fiberglass and resin composition resembles a giant Indian brave peering out over a parapet. The statue measures 25 feet by 13 feet by 9 feet and weighs 2,400 pounds. It now overlooks the James River in the area near Great Shiplock Park. 

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The statue had been a mainstay at The Diamond during much of the Richmond Braves time at the baseball stadium, on loan from the artist. When the Braves moved out of town, the idea of a tribute to Native Americans at the stadium diminished, prompting the need to find a new home for Connecticut. 

The Lucky Strike building was one of three finalists for the 25-year-old statue, including Powhatan and Henrico high schools, in that order. The board said that the Lucky Strike location provided the sculpture with the most visibility to the public.

In a news release from Odell Associates, “Connecticut,” from the Native American word Quinnehtukqut, translates “beside the long tidal river.” Sculptor Paul DiPasquale chose this name because of his original intention to unveil this monumental tribal tribute in Washington, D.C., along the tidal Potomac River.

With the selection of Lucky Strike @ Power Plant as Connecticut’s home, the Indian finally rests as intended, beside the long tidal river — the James River. The Power Plant @ Lucky Strike is a joint venture between Mac Partners and Odell Associates. This historic landmark recognized in 2009 by the American Institute of Architects and Greater Richmond Area Commercial Real Estate as an Award winning Historical Adaptive Re-Use project.

Finding the ways we honor U.S. Presidents in Richmond

Richmond has statues, monuments or cemetery statuary for five U.S. Presidents:

• George Washington has two statues at Capitol Square, the Lower Arch at the Pump House and a sculpture honoring his vision of the Kanawha Canal on Canal Walk;
• Thomas Jefferson has a statue in the lobby of the Jefferson Hotel and another is planned for inside the Capitol building;
• James Monroe and John Tyler are buried at President’s Circle at Hollywood Cemetery;
• Abraham Lincoln has a monument at Tredegar Iron Works.

For the Southerners, Jefferson Davis was the President of the Confederacy and has a monument on Monument Avenue and is buried at Hollywood Cemetery.

See more statues and monuments or check for where they are located on the Statues and Monuments page.

Matthew Fontaine Maury on Monument Avenue

WHAT: Statue of Matthew Fontaine Maury on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia.

WHERE: Monument and Belmont avenues in the intersection.

ARTIST: William F. Sievers

DEDICATION: November 11, 1929

DESCRIPTION: A seated bronze figure of Maury which is 8 foot high on a 5 foot high granite pedestal. This grouping sits in front of a 18 foot high base which supports a 9 foot diameter bronze globe. At the base of the globe a storm is raging with figures being tossed by a swirling wave. This carefully conceived allegorical theme is a tribute to Maury’s study of the ocean, winds and currents.

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Confederate naval officer and explorer Matthew Fontaine Maury was known as the “Pathfinder of the Seas.” Although he never fought a battle and was prone to seasickness, Maury became one of the U.S. Navy’s most accomplished officers.

The enigmatic nature of his statue reflects his unusual place in the pantheon of Confederate and Virginia heroes. The carefully conceived allegorical theme is a tribute to Maury’s study of the ocean, winds and currents. It was dedicated November 11, 1929, and rests in the intersection with Belmont Avenue. Maury’s grave can be found in President’s Circle at Hollywood Cemetery.

“George Washington’s Vision” at Canal Walk

WHAT: “George Washington’s Vision” at the Canal Walk Turning Basin in downtown Richmond, Virginia.

LOCATION: West of the intersection of 14th and Dock streets.

ARTIST: Applebaum Associates Inc.

DEDICATION: 2001

DESCRIPTION: The granite and bronze display is arranged in a circle and centered with a surveyor’s compass. The text and map within the display highlight the key points of the Kanawha Canal and Washington’s vision of connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River.

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From the display:

George Washington promoted the concept of a great central waterway long before he became this nation’s first President. A surveyor of western lands as a young man, and later a landowner of vast tracts beyond the Alleghenies, Washington had close knowledge of the western territories, which he feared would be controlled by France and Spain if trade routes to eastern markets were not established.

Washington’s vision was to connect the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River with navigable rivers, canals, and a land portage through what is now West Virginia. After the Revolution, the James River Company was created, primarily as a result of his sponsorship and lobbying efforts. Before Washington’s death in 1799, a large portion of his dream had been realized.

Two canals bypassed the falls of the James River at Richmond, and 220 miles of river improvements extended westward. In the early 19th century, other farsighted Virginians took over Washington’s leadership role. The final elements of his plan were completed in the 1820s, when the Kanawha Turnpike joined the headwaters of the James River to the Kanawha River. In 1835, the James River and Kanawha Company was formed, and within 15 years a canal system stretched to Buchanan, Virginia, a distance of 197 miles.