Norfolk History

[vdogg]

I found this video from YouTube from May 1986 showing what the drive on the Va. Beach Expressway looked like from Va. Beach to Norfolk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dapzjq513a4

You beat me to it. I'm devastated.

[skylinefan]

You beat me to it. I'm devastated.

Thats cool can't post this video enough times. Neat to see the bank of america building with the Sovran sign on it.

[Merrittk92]

I loved the panaramas in this site. Well worth investing a few minutes to check it out. This pic was my favorite, love the three and four masted schooners in the center.

Check out the link for a larger view.

[urbanvb]

Thats cool can't post this video enough times. Neat to see the bank of america building with the Sovran sign on it.

Ahh, Sovran. I used to work in one of their lending branches in umm 1988. That was a loooooooooooong time ago. Great company to work for back then.

[Dulcinea]

I decided to visit the Sargeant Room at Kirn Library today after looking through this thread; the gentleman working there was very accomodating and pulled out a few folders with old photos of downtown Granby Street and aerial views of downtown. It was very insightful (both depressing and inspirational), and I don't think I'll ever look at DT Norfolk the same way again. Definitely plan on going back for more - if you park in the MacArthur ramp and bring the ticket into the library, you can park for free up to 3 hrs.

(If anybody wants an image from there to replicate/frame, it costs 3 dollars per scan at high resolution and then another 3 to burn it onto a cd. Just upload to shutterfly.com...8 dollars for an 11x14)

[vdogg]

I'm mixed on Norfolks revitalization efforts of the 60's and 70's. On one hand I think they tore down way too much and pretty much just went overboard. On the other hand I have my doubts we'd be in the position we are today, and experience the renaissance that has been going on the past few years, had this not happened. I think it may well have been a necessary evil.

[skylinefan]

I'm mixed on Norfolks revitalization efforts of the 60's and 70's. On one hand I think they tore down way too much and pretty much just went overboard. On the other hand I have my doubts we'd be in the position we are today, and experience the renaissance that has been going on the past few years, had this not happened. I think it may well have been a necessary evil.

I have always wondered what Downtown would be like if the city had not taken on urban renewal and slum clearance with such abandon in the 1960s and 70s. For instance I think we would probably have a 4 star hotel today had the city not torn down the beautiful Monticello Hotel. I also wondered what would have become of Union Station where the government complex sits today. Looks like it was a nice distinctive building that could have been converted to nice condominiums. These are just a few of the examples of old buildings that could have really contributed to Downtown's renaissance. On the other hand there were plenty of buildings that were built very shabily and probably should have been demolished. I guess we will never know!

[urbanlife]

I decided to visit the Sargeant Room at Kirn Library today after looking through this thread; the gentleman working there was very accomodating and pulled out a few folders with old photos of downtown Granby Street and aerial views of downtown. It was very insightful (both depressing and inspirational), and I don't think I'll ever look at DT Norfolk the same way again. Definitely plan on going back for more - if you park in the MacArthur ramp and bring the ticket into the library, you can park for free up to 3 hrs.

(If anybody wants an image from there to replicate/frame, it costs 3 dollars per scan at high resolution and then another 3 to burn it onto a cd. Just upload to shutterfly.com...8 dollars for an 11x14)

It would be awesome if they had this on a website to visit. I have an old color phot of downtown Norfolk when they were adding on to the World Trade Center that I love to death. I would love to own a few more vintage photos of the city.

[urbanlife]

I'm mixed on Norfolks revitalization efforts of the 60's and 70's. On one hand I think they tore down way too much and pretty much just went overboard. On the other hand I have my doubts we'd be in the position we are today, and experience the renaissance that has been going on the past few years, had this not happened. I think it may well have been a necessary evil.

Actually I think Norfolk would of been in a better off position if it had not jumped on the Urban Renewal bandwagon and leveled so much. Chances are the city would of had a renovation comeback during the 90's that would of created some solid pockets throughout downtown. It is easier for grassroot groups to renovate a city back to health when they have something to work with. Case in point, downtown Pittsburgh is seeing some amazing renovation going on throughout their downtown because of a handful of small companies that took on a risk.

I probably would of had no desire to leave Norfolk if they would of never done urban renewal and would of probably moved back there after getting my degree in architecture.

[Padman]

The assumption always runs like this: what was here before was much better than what is here today, sort of a variant on "you never miss your water 'til the well runs dry." When I was in high school, my rock band played at the Monticello Hotel sometimes. It was in pretty shabby condition, having gone through some low budget renovations. There was a proposal to add a 20 storey tower behind it, but that was probably a scam announcement to chase away the Hilton people, who wanted to build a major hotel here. Business had not rediscovered the waterfront yet, although some people talked about developing there. The upshot is that there never was a lot of money in Norfolk, lacking major corporate presence. It really was a Navy town. The largest local companies were probably Smith Douglas fertilizer and Royster Guano, along with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad and the Bank of Commerce and Seaboard Citizens Bank. The tallest three buildings were 13, 12 and 10 storeys tall. In the 1950s, that height was surpassed by the Portsmouth Naval Hospital and the Maritime Tower. Not much capital was available to rehab old Main Street and its surroundings. Had they survived, who knows what might have been viable today.

[Sky06]

Sargeant Room

I've already had prints made of several vintage photographs. They look awesome. There are literally thousands of photos to look at.

Edited April 13, 2007 by Sky06

[Telmnstr]

Would they allow me to bring a notebook computer and a small scanner with me? Self contained and compact? If so, I'd be willing to spend some time over there scanning and post them online for everyone.

I had sought permission to scan aerial photos from one of the cities for HRConnect and they were cool. But I ain't lugging the 11x17 over there, and it's sooo slow. I was going to archive all of the downtowner papers as well.

[Sky06]

Would they allow me to bring a notebook computer and a small scanner with me? Self contained and compact? If so, I'd be willing to spend some time over there scanning and post them online for everyone.

I had sought permission to scan aerial photos from one of the cities for HRConnect and they were cool. But I ain't lugging the 11x17 over there, and it's sooo slow. I was going to archive all of the downtowner papers as well.

Don't know. Won't hurt to ask.

[urbanlife]

Sargeant Room

I've already had prints made of several vintage photographs. They look awesome. There are literally thousands of photos to look at.

very cool, just the couple seconds on it I was some amazing things. Will have to spend some lengthy time there this weekend.

[burt]

very cool, just the couple seconds on it I was some amazing things. Will have to spend some lengthy time there this weekend.

Looking at the Home page of Sargeant Room, there is a faded outline of Norfolk and its waterways at top left. What are the numbers in the Elizabeth River? Do they signify depths?

If so, how do large ships manager to negotiate the harbor?

[gosscj]

Yes, those are depth readings. Large vessels navigate the harbor via a series of deep channels, which are marked by red and green buoys. Ships are met in the water before they enter the channels by pilots who are intimately familiar with the local waterways and who guides the vessel through the harbor. The channel system linking HR's port facilities and the Chesapeake Bay is at all points at least 60' deep, so they can handle the largest container ships in the world.

[tombarnes]

Though the Furniture Hall is only a distant echo of itself as the doomed Ikon Buiilding, it is sad to see that another extant link to Norfolk's past is being relegated to the scrap heap of history. Honestly, the city could have insisted upon its incorporation in the new building. I'm still not convinced that the city is getting a great deal from the developers of the new Hilton. Yes, it's good that the new hotel is finally being built, and there's no denying that the building isn't in the best condition, but I still wonder if the project might not have been better with the old building (or at least parts of it). All of this discussion is a moot point, so I won't belabor it any longer.

The Virginian-Pilot

Edited April 22, 2007 by tombarnes

[4307]

Has anyone seen this? Its a "photo taken in color infrared film in 1984"

[willy]

WOW, could you point me in the direction of the nearest fallout shelter?

The picture almost looks fake.

[urbanvb]

awesome pic. oh my how times have changed.

[gosscj]

And to think I was born in that city in that year. What a weird looking place!

[urbanlife]

very cool pic. good to see norfolk has changed so much for the better from this picture. shame it doesn't have more of the northeastern part of downtown, we would probably all crap our pants with how bad it looked.

[spiker3]

I passed by the leaning tower of Norfolk (forget the name) Apparently Bobby Wright is really fed up with downtown, he's 'now accepting offers' and a giant for sale sign dominates the downstairs....

[vdogg]

I passed by the leaning tower of Norfolk (forget the name) Apparently Bobby Wright is really fed up with downtown, he's 'now accepting offers' and a giant for sale sign dominates the downstairs....

I'd be fed up too the way he's been treated lately. No one wants to invest that much time, money, and energy into stuff just to deal with a bunch of red tape and bs.

[lammius]

And to think I was born in that city in that year. What a weird looking place!

I was born not much earlier ('82). I remember going downtown in the late 80s, and seeing those vast parking lots, the Banana Piers where Nauticus is now, and pre-Marriott, pre-Dominion Tower, pre-Waterside expansion, etc. It was such a depressing, dead wasteland in those days. The only good thing is there was plenty of space for tents during Harborfest. The festival covered much more ground than it does today! Wow, what a great reminder that pic is! Norfolk has come a VERY long way since the 80s!!!

Edited May 22, 2007 by lammius