VCU Developments

[electricmonk]

Anytime I read about VCU developments I can't help but think of the song Scuffletown by Avail and this verse in that song:

Oregon Hill is at end time

VCU crept up and lit the torch

West ave. honkeys don't forget

That trains still run north

Still it's a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful day

And the sun is still shining, shining, shining, shining

OVER THE JAMES

-----

When I lived in the Fan in the late 80's we used to joke about VCU taking over all of the Fan. One of the things I liked about living there was the way it was different segments of society all in one relatively small area. One block would be ghetto a street or 2 over would be million dollar homes, thousands of students over here, an old folks home right in the middle, etc. I just hope that the area doesn't become homoginized into a student enclave. But then it's been awhile since I've spent much time there and it may have already.

[burt]

Monk, It still has its eclectic charm, but with 30,000 students it has pretty much homoginized into a student enclave. On my last vist 6 months ago, I was stunned by the HEAVY pedestrian traffic all over the campus. For instance, driving up or down any of the major avenues thru the campus is a slow process these days.

Edited February 18, 2006 by burt

[wrldcoupe4]

I'd still say the majority of residents aren't VCU students.

[burt]

I'd still say the majority of residents aren't VCU students.

Well, they're all carrying books and look like they're heading to class.

[wrldcoupe4]

The Fan is a large neighborhood... about 85 blocks. VCU is a large school, but many of their students commute (though I know that's beginning to change swiftly). Much of the fan is simply out of their price range. Plus, not many students want to be more than a few blocks from campus (I know from the experience of some of my friends).

I'm not saying it would be bad to have a ton of students living there, I'm just saying I think the Fan is still an extremely diverse (on every level) eclectic, and beautiful neighborhood.

[burt]

Agreed all the way. But all I'm saying is that the streets around the University are jammed with people (students, not fan residents) during the day. When you go down for the Renaissance thingee, drive up Main Street on ur way back to school and you'll see what I mean. (unless they're on spring break).

[wrldcoupe4]

I have seen that and I love it! I wish the whole city was more like that! We started class a week after VCU this semester, so when I went downtown to take pics, I passed through and noticed the heavy pedestrian traffic.

[burt]

I have seen that and I love it! I wish the whole city was more like that! We started class a week after VCU this semester, so when I went downtown to take pics, I passed through and noticed the heavy pedestrian traffic.

OK. I thought you meant I was wrong when I talked about the crowded streets around VCU. My point to Monk was that they weren't like that in the 80s. And God knows they were nothing like that when it was called RPI.

[electricmonk]

Glad to hear the area is still pretty diverse. Pretty much figured it would be but it is something to keep an eye on. I lived on the 1100 block of Grace and my roommate was a VCU student but I wasn't. The majority of our neighbors both in our building and the rest of them on the block were students.

When I moved to Carytown it was like a different city though. A few students but mostly people in their mid-20's to mid-30's without kids.

I miss Carytown, I don't miss Grace Street.

[wrldcoupe4]

Richmond Renaissance Update!

Only a few of VCU's endless list of projects could be highlighted in the alotted two minutes....

The Massey Cancer Center will open this month and feature a "Healing Garden"

The 8th st deck will house 1000 cars at a cost of 18 million and will be complete in May. Funny story in the meeting about this one

Sanger Hall is undergoing a $60 million laboratory renovation, bringing in the most state of the art laboratory equipment for VCU students.

Hunton Hall wil be converted into a student commons.

The School of Nursing will open in 2007. Meanwhile, the current schoool will move to the Theatre Row building so that work can accelerate on the new Medical Sciences II building, which will take its place on Broad St.

The 15-story, $200 million Critical Care tower will be complete in 2008. Construction has been slow because they have had to do an incredible amount of shoring up so that the surrounding buildings won't collapse in on the hole.

[wrldcoupe4]

VCU surgery team implants artificial heart

excerpts!

A cardiac surgery team at Virginia Commonwealth University implanted an artificial heart into a Virginia man on Monday.

VCU officials say it is the first artificial heart implant surgery to take place on the East Coast.....

VCU Medical Center is one of three hospitals in the United States and seven others worldwide certified to implant the TAH-t. The other two U.S. hospitals are the University Medical Center in Tucson, Ariz., and the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.........

The transplant team at VCU's Pauley Heart Center, led by cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Vigneshwar Kasirajan, underwent training in Tucson and Richmond to ensure that the hospital and the team were ready.

"This is an extraordinary interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, perfusionists and medical technicians," Kasirajan said. "The role of nursing care is particularly crucial and one of the reasons that we were able to be TAH-t certified."

VCU Medical Center is definitely a good thing to have in town!!!

Edited April 4, 2006 by wrldcoupe4

[burt]

a couple of updates on VCU's construction rampage...

The Monroe Park Campus Expansion:

According to the TD, it will face Main St, and be bound by "Madison, Belvidere and West Cary streets."

The School of Business will cost $42.07 million; Phase II, the School of Engineering will cost $42.8 million. Ground breaking should be on Nov. 1...."Overall, the Monroe Park Campus Addition, which will encompass these projects and others, will be a $200 million-plus complex east of Belvidere Street between Main and Canal streets. Other projects in the complex are expected to include the new home of the VCU Adcenter, a renovation of the Belting Building; student housing; an underground parking deck; and an executive training conference center."

Someone was surprised recently when advised that the tower for the Business School had been eliminated. This picture will show it without the tower.

[burt]

Here's what the original concept looked like with the tower.

[burt]

HELP!

Can someone tell me how to access the live VCU cams? I can't find the link or connection or whatever it's called.

[wrldcoupe4]

VCU Ramcams

[ric75]

I got to go on this site today. The excavation is quite impressive. They are still working on pouring the forms for the foundation but they seem to be making pretty good progress. I wonder if they plan on burying the utility lines along Main and Cary in that area ? That's really starting to become a pet-peace of mine.

[wrldcoupe4]

I hope they bury the lines too.. I wish they'd do it all over the city (though I know it's extremely costly).... it would make such a difference!!!

some VCU updates:

Monroe Park Campus Expansion

Nursing School

[Cadeho]

Most of the lines downtown are buried. The more residential areas aren't.

[wrldcoupe4]

Steel rising at the Monroe Park Expansion

[ric75]

Steel rising at the Monroe Park Expansion

The tower at the corner of Belvidere and Main looks to topped out as far as the framework goes. Talked to a guy working there and he said they were 7 days behind schedule which in the grand scheme of things is nothing.

[TBurban]

The tower at the corner of Belvidere and Main looks to topped out as far as the framework goes. Talked to a guy working there and he said they were 7 days behind schedule which in the grand scheme of things is nothing.

Is that one of those turret looking sections in this picture?

Edited May 7, 2006 by TBurban

[ric75]

Is that one of those turret looking sections in this picture?

Yep, it's the one all the way to the left. It's the only section that is above ground level so far. Everywhere else they are still working on pouring foundations though they are getting closer to completing that.

[ric75]

FYI, steel is starting to rise in the middle of the excavation. Framing seems to be complete on the corner tower. Out of approximately 120 footings, they have poured about 90 of them.

[wrldcoupe4]

Great! Thanks for the update! I'll be home for summer in a day so yall better expect pictures

[TBurban]

Ahh, I remembering taking a picture of it this past weekend, my only development shot out of 123