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Ed Eck almost single-handedly turned around a tough neighborhood on West Main Street. Roy E. Burgess II similarly influenced West He's Uptown's Main man A risky business: Buying in the '80s pays off big-time
BY AARON KREMER
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Sunday, September 3, 2006
Ed Eck is the unofficial godfather of Uptown.
That's the area of West Cary and West Main streets where Virginia Commonwealth University abuts the Fan District and where formerly dilapidated flophouses are now vibrant restaurants and residences.
The pastel colors on West Main Street: his idea. The Uptown banners: paid for by him.
Eck, 65, owns more than 70 properties in the city. Over the past 30-odd years, he has nearly single-handedly sparked the area's rebirth. Residents ask him to deal with City Hall about rattling manhole covers. Developers seek out his knowledge and all but ask for his permission.
When Eck drives along his turf -- the 1100 block through the 2300 block of West Main and West Cary and the alleys in between -- he rattles off what was once there and what will be going in, usually new residences that mesh with Fan row houses. Wrought iron is an Eck favorite.
The Richmond native will receive the Andrew Asch Developer Award later this month from the Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods.
"It still has history, still has character. Thanks to him, the beautiful architecture that defines the area is still around," said Jennie Dotts, executive director of the nonprofit organization.
His real estate holdings are worth plenty, and his investments seem like a no-brainer. But back in the early'70s and'80s, when the neighborhood was filled with vagrants and motorists sped by with windows rolled up and doors locked, it wasn't so obvious.
"When you invest in a neighborhood like Ed did, you don't know if other people want to improve it," said Jim Irby with Irby + Papit Architects and a longtime Eck associate.
"He has a passion for seeing things turned around. It's very much who he is, and he's taken risks to pursue."
Back in the early 1980s, Eck needed office space for Eck Supply Co., which he bought from his father and original stockowners.
"We looked at the possibility of moving to the suburbs," he said. "But I love the city and wanted to make a contribution, and buying old buildings has personally been very satisfying."
Back then, he bought some for less than $10,000. He knew VCU would expand and he had faith that the urban lifestyle would become popular again.
What's more, "the commonwealth wasn't going to allow the capital city to falter."
But working in a transitional neighborhood hasn't always been cake. Cars were keyed and employees made sure to park close by for fear of walking at night.
"The area had to be improved or we had to go," Eck said.
With two years in the House of Delegates and a political science degree from the University of Notre Dame, he had the wherewithal to work with neighborhood associations to change the industrial zoning to residential.
"In some of those meetings, I thought we'd come to blows."
His work is far from done. The area behind his Main Street headquarters swarms with carpenters renovating and finishing new homes. On Cary Street, Eck owns several lots still waiting for new buildings. He sods the lots to create instant pocket parks. Plus, he has plans for upscale condominiums along Cary.
His uptown roots date to his adolescence, when he hauled 200-pound reels of copper cable into a warehouse for his father's supply company. That same building is now Gold's Gym.
He takes care of the neighborhood -- like any good godfather.
Contact staff writer Aaron Kremer at akremer@timesdispatch.com or (804) 649-6495.
This story can be found at: Times Dispatch