Richmond's Canal Walk

[burt]

true... I always enjoyed his posts. Seemed like he had a real interest in it. ahh well.

whoops ric....for some reason I thought you were asking about the Vistas opening up on the canal... there should be a small patio as well as balconies that look out onto the canal. sorry!

And don't forget those concerts on barges IN the canal! LOL.

I wonder if local liquor laws will prevent full-service outdoor patio cocktails?

[wrldcoupe4]

hmm good question about the alcohol.. I'm not sure... I'm looking forward to these floating concerts though!

[burt]

hmm good question about the alcohol.. I'm not sure... I'm looking forward to these floating concerts though!

Just hope you don't have to illegally brown-bag it to enjoy those water concerts whilst sitting at a Toad's Place patio table.

I think the rule is that if an outdoor patio is on public property, the ban applies. If the patio is on private property, a liquor license can be obtained. So, that's an "iffy" situation with the canal walk abutting Toads.

I bet Riverpirate would know.

[wrldcoupe4]

perhaps they will have a way to separate the patio? (some sort of iron gating/fencing?)

[burt]

Cadeho reports on RCW that vandals have spray painted areas of the Canal Walk. How disgusting!

[wrldcoupe4]

I know.... ahh well hopefully it will get cleaned up soon.

[burt]

I know.... ahh well hopefully it will get cleaned up soon.

And I hope the vandals are caught and prosecuted.

[wrldcoupe4]

Cleaning up the canal walk was one of the city's priority the monday after it occurred.... glad to see it was quickly taken care of!

[burt]

Cleaning up the canal walk was one of the city's priority the monday after it occurred.... glad to see it was quickly taken care of!

Did the city clean it up? Isn't there a separate private authority that is responsible for canalwalk maintenance?

Where did you read about the clean-up, coupe?

[burt]

Somebody on RCW has posted an article from the RTD about Ladybird/Toads Place. It seems because of unanticipated construction impediments, opening will be delayed until late Spring of '06.

The article mentioned nothing about financial difficulties as reported earlier on RCW.

[wrldcoupe4]

it was cleaned up by the dept of public works maybe a day after it occurred... it was a "top priority"

[burt]

it was cleaned up by the dept of public works maybe a day after it occurred... it was a "top priority"

I wish the dept of public works would buy a rowboat and a rake so they could patrol the canals for discarded trash!

[wrldcoupe4]

haha agreed!

[burt]

In today's story about Toad's Place, there was mention of the club that had been proposed for the old Mulligan's out west on Broad street in Henrico. The club developers (who I understand own the Mulligan property) have run into difficulties at that site. They say they have other locations in mind as well as the West Broad site, and that some are in the city. Maybe they've got their eyes on the ROTJ Power Plant where my informant said COYOTE UGLY might open.

My hope is for something sexy at the power Plant, whether its COYOTE or a Playboy Club or Chippendales. Richmond needs a little spice in its life.

[wrldcoupe4]

Richmond needs something in that powerplant! These people sound like a good fit!

[wrldcoupe4]

pretty good number of people out on the canal today....probably people taking out of town relatives down there.

[burt]

pretty good number of people out on the canal today....probably people taking out of town relatives down there.

Did you check out progress at Ladybird/Toads?

[wrldcoupe4]

they were working on it today.... I think we can bet on that spring opening. They still have a good ways to go. Balconies haven't been installed, some foundation work inside isn't finished.... etc.

[burt]

Hahaha. June may be bustin' out all over! Maybe we'll have Toads, the new cafe in Turning Basin Bldg and dancing girls up stream at ROTJ! And on top of that, construction workers at about the 4th level of Vistas!

See, I can be optimistic, too!

[wrldcoupe4]

I like the optimism! and you're probably right!

[Cadeho]

Thanks Burt. It is odd how in the old days they say Shockoe Creek was navigable by ocean-going ships. However, the current mouth of the creek (should I post those pics?) might be too far in. It's not far from Mayo's Bridge and that is where I hear the fall line (if it's an actual line and not the seven miles of falls) runs. At least it starts there. I have many times wondered how that rock you can see from Rocketts got that far away from the rest of the rocks. I'm guessing a mighty flood deposited it. How big is it and how deep is the river at that point? Anyway, the river is still navigable past that rock since there is a boat docked just west of it. I think an 1835 Micajah Bates map reveals that Shockoe Creek either split near the river or part of it was rerouted. The section that was probably navigavable by ocean-going vessels became the western half of the Richmond Dock. Apparently about the time he made that map, Richmond had enough of the creek and was building a new bed and diverting the creek. The old mouth was between 22nd and 23rd St somewhere in the middle of Chapel Island today.

But I have always imagined the canal open again since I saw this article in 1990, two years after it ran. (Sorry for the red lines, my scanner was dying at that point).

I only regret we couldn't have had a Canal District where the James Center is. Most if not all of the locks were intact before the James Center was built. Try to find the book Maritime Richmond it has diagrams of them and pictures from the 60s or 70s.

I also thought it'd be a good idea to have a floatilla of "ship shops" after seeing this in Celebrate Richmond.

I don't necessarily like the idea of having the Godspeed docked here. It doesn't exactly belong here, at least in the dock which it predated! But we can have a floating Chinese ship that's a Chinese Restaurant.

In my mind, I have wanted there to be restaurants along the north side of Dock St. that straddle the floodwall with general parking beneath. That would help the business stay in business in case of a flood. The buildings could have elevator towers that view the outside as well. The buildings could be in the Italiante, Romanesque, or Queen Anne styles or maybe even look likethe warehouses on Cary.

The original locks I think are too small. I don't think we can cannect them to the Haxall canal for modern activity. However, Reynolds can be demolished for the connection.

(new before edits edit)

And the western section is a dream! The property Ethyl is supposedly selling would be good for Haxal to connect through locks to the old canal bed. (There are no labels, just configurations)

But why must CSX and Ethyl hinder a historic landmark for no good reason? If they were willing, we could extend the canal all the way to Maymount and as I'd like to see, to Tuckahoe Island. There could be canal tours to and from Lynchburg (if not Buchanan) using the river and/or other reconstructed sections of the canal. So someone could catch a batteau from Buchanan, have a stop in Lynchburg, maybe a stop in Scottsville and in a flood-resistant Columbia that can become a canal town with shops and whatnot, then to Richmond where maybe they could catch a river cruice to Hampton Roads. Is that too much of a dream?

[Cadeho]

I walked the canal today between Ethyl's property and Oregon Hill. It's dry from a little east of the Lee Bridge to about Hollywood Cemetery. There is a small pond in the canal behind the western edge of Tredegar, or it could have been a big puddle from the rain yesterday, but other areas didn't hold water. I t should ahve been a duh answer that the water flows the same direction as the river. I guess it was harder to go towards the mountains and faster shipping east.

[burt]

Congratulations on all your artwork and dreams. But much of it, I'm afraid, is unworkable. The connection from Haxall to Kanawa at the Ethyl property (especially the diagram with the big turning basin) is probably not doable. Would it be possible to connect the two canals via a new passage along Tredegar Street to the existing canal bed around or west of Lee Bridge?

Also, because of elevation differences, the connection near Alcoa would require locks or something similar to Coupe's and my boat lift.

I love this discussion. Let's keep it going.

By the way, the Shockoe Creek situation baffles me. Wouldn't its chanel have had to cross old Kanawa Canal on the route from the James to Main Street Station area?

[Cadeho]

Congratulations on all your artwork and dreams. But much of it, I'm afraid, is unworkable. The connection from Haxall to Kanawa at the Ethyl property (especially the diagram with the big turning basin) is probably not doable. Would it be possible to connect the two canals via a new passage along Tredegar Street to the existing canal bed around or west of Lee Bridge?

Also, because of elevation differences, the connection near Alcoa would require locks or something similar to Coupe's and my boat lift.

I love this discussion. Let's keep it going.

By the way, the Shockoe Creek situation baffles me. Wouldn't its chanel have had to cross old Kanawa Canal on the route from the James to Main Street Station area?

No one should keep captive a historic landmark. The turning basin on Ethyl's property was part of Morgan's idea recreating the basin. It's not necessary. However, Ethyl should turn over that section of their land to the city to keep the parklike setting. I don't think they'd give up Gambles Hill Park, but it'd be nice if they did.

Connecting the two by Tredegar St wouldn't be possible without closing the street. The configuration of the gates or whatever that is there and the foundry right on Tredegar prevent that from happening. The only way to do it is as in the original plans for the canals or an adaptation of it. Ethyl will just have to get over it because what they have now is unhealthy stagnant water on their lands wasting away. It serves no purpose to them. If they worry about development along their land, then just keep it as parkland.

The eastern section I should have labeled. Of course locks would be needed! However the placement of the basin on the site of the plant is on the same level as the rest of the canal. If even the western side meets a hill, then the basin will have to cut into it. New locks would have to connect the two canals.

From what I can gather, the canal wasn't walled in past the ironworks. If we were to redo the canal westward, should we wall it in this time?

Shockoe Creek did have to cross the canal, and I am baffled how it did also. It appears that in several maps that the creek passed over the canal. How I have no idea! Maybe they dropped it below the canal or it just intersected the canal?

[burt]

I still like the idea of a boat lift. It doesn't match Richmond history, but neither would a new canal and locks. Besides a boat lift (not a mamouth one, but one scaled to the location) would be a teriffic tourist attraction.

And I'm certainly not sure about this, but could boats divert into the river (as they did way upstream) from the the end of Haxall to a point before Hollywood Rapids and slightly beyond Dominion then swing into the old Kanawa canal bed?