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Ginter Park Terrace
Ginter Park Terrace is located in northeastern Richmond. Bounded by Ladies Mile Road to the north and east, Brookland Park Boulevard to the south, and Edgewood Avenue to the east, Ginter Park Terrace is comprised of five and one-half blocks, which cover approximately thirty-five acres. See Map.
Ginter Park Terrace was at one time part of a large farm. The Tiller family, who lived at the southwestern comer of Brookland Park Boulevard and Chamberlayne Avenue during the early 1900s, grazed dairy cattle on the land and provided milk for residents of Ginter Park, a nearby housing development. Much of Ginter Park Terrace’s history can be linked to this residential neighborhood, although the two are separate and quite distinct.
In 1895, Major Lewis Ginter, a tobacconist and prominent Richmond figure during the late 1800s, purchased hundreds of farmland acres in eastern Henrico County. A business associate of Ginter’s owned a large home in the area, and Ginter felt it was an excellent location on which to build a suburban development. The site was on a point elevated above the city and within close proximity to Brook Turnpike (now Brook Road), the only road within the area that led to Richmond. Ginter established his own land development corporation to construct the homes.
The first Ginter Park lot sold in 1898, and all of the remaining lots moved fairly quickly. Richmonders were very interested in the new suburb, primarily because it offered amenities that were more frequently seen in the city. Specifically, the neighborhood had its own water works and sewage system, and the homes had telephones and electric lights. By 1912, there were over 170 residents, and Ginter Park was incorporated as its own town with John Garland Pollard as mayor. Ginter Park by now had its own school, fire department, newspaper, and, most importantly, street cars that passed through every ten minutes.
In 1913, the pasture used by the Tillers was surveyed and subdivided for the creation of Ginter Park Terrace. Ginter Park had proven to be such a popular place to live that more housing was needed to meet the demand of Richmonders who wanted to move to the “suburbs.” With such close proximity to the Town of Ginter Park, homes built in Ginter Park Terrace could take advantage of the various amenities, in particular the street car service. Residents were able to live outside the cramped conditions of the city yet have fast, easy access to downtown. The streetcar line, which had opened in 1895, ran along Brookland Park Boulevard and had a stop at the intersection with Chamberlayne Avenue. Before the first home could be built in Ginter Park Terrace though, the city annexed Town of Ginter Park and all of the surrounding land in 1914.
The homes in Ginter Park Terrace were not as grand as those in Ginter Park. The Ginter Park houses were constructed on lots sized upwards from 100′ by 200′ and intended for large families and their support staffs. Many of the families who bought the homes were fairly wealthy and tended to participate in prominent social circles. Ginter Park Terrace, with its smaller lots and compact houses, was intended for middle class families. Indeed, a study of Hill’s Richmond City Directory from 1920 reveals that many Ginter Park Terrace residents were white-collar professionals, employed in positions such as insurance agents, accountants, salesmen, and bankers. Residents of Hawthorne Avenue, where the houses and lots are somewhat comparable to those in Ginter Park, worked in more prestigious positions. Occupations here included a physician, a district manager for a local tobacco company, and a bank treasurer.
Most of the homes in Ginter Park Terrace were constructed by the late 1920s, and the neighborhood remained rather unchanged through the 1950s. A study of Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps between 1925 and 1952 reveal few structural changes to the homes although various outbuildings were added. During this time, a majority of the neighborhood residents continued to work in professional occupations. However, starting in the late 1940s and early 1950s, more working class families began moving in. Also during this period, major changes occurred with the streetcar service. In November, 1929, the service north of Brookland Park Boulevard along Chamberlayne Avenue was discontinued. The stop at the intersection of Chaymberlayne Avenue (southwestern comer of Pollard Park) became the line terminus and turnaround area for the cars. All streetcar service finally ended on October 23, 1949.
There are four principal architectural styles visible in this neighborhood: American Foursquare, Colonial Revival, Craftsman, and Ranch with the dominant styles being American Foursquare and Craftsman. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish these two styles from each other because there are many shared architectural characteristics. However, regardless of style, the homes that rhythmically grace the streets of Ginter Park Terrace are a unique and remarkably intact microcosm of an early 20th century suburb of Richmond.