#1 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
Richmond City Hall
Richmond VA
~0.02 miles from Richmond city center
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#2 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
Library of Virginia
Richmond VA
~0.06 miles from Richmond city center
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The Library is one of the oldest agencies of Virginia government, founded in 1823 to preserve and provide access to the state's incomparable printed and manuscript holdings. Our collection, which has grown steadily through the years, is the most comprehensive resource in the world for the study of Virginia history, culture, and government.
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#3 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
Richmond St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Richmond VA
~0.09 miles from Richmond city center
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St. Paul's Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia. Located directly across the street from the Virginia State Capitol, the church has long been a popular house of worship for political figures, including General Robert E. Lee and Confederate President Jefferson Davis.
Other famous people associated with the church are Rev. Dr. Charles Minnigerode who led the church during the Civil War and Reconstruction eras. The Right. Rev. John Shelby Spong, (now retired as bishop of the Diocese of Newark), began to attract national attention while rector of St. Paul’s (1969-1976).
St. Paul's was built in 1845 by members of the Monumental Church.
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#4 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
John Marshall House Museum
818 E Marshall St Richmond VA - 804-648-7998
~0.09 miles from Richmond city center
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#5 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
Virginia State Capitol
Richmond VA
~0.10 miles from Richmond city center
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The Virginia State Capitol is the seat of state government in the Commonwealth of Virginia, located in Richmond, the third State Capital of Virginia. It houses the oldest legislative body in the United States, the Virginia General Assembly. Although it was completed in 1788 and is over 215 years old, the current State Capitol building is the eighth built to serve as Virginia's State House, primarily due to fires in the Colonial period. It is one of only eleven state capitols in the United States to not have an external dome. (The others are Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon and Tennessee.)
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#6 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
Historic Richmond Tours
1015 E Clay St Richmond VA - 804-649-0711
~0.17 miles from Richmond city center
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#7 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
Valentine Richmond History Center
Richmond VA
~0.17 miles from Richmond city center
Hotels Close to Valentine Richmond History Center
The mission of the Richmond History Center is to engage, educate, and challenge a diverse audience by collecting, preserving, and interpreting Richmond's history.
The Richmond History Center offers major changing exhibitions, which focus on American urban and social history, costumes, decorative arts and architecture. The History Center includes the stately 1812 Wickham House, a National Historic Landmark and outstanding example of neoclassical architecture featuring rare wall paintings.
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#8 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
Museum and White House
1201 E Clay St Richmond VA - 804-649-1861
~0.24 miles from Richmond city center
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The centerpiece of the museum complex is a separate structure a few yards north of the museum building, across a shady, peaceful garden. The White House of the Confederacy was where Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his family lived from 1861-1865. Visitors today can tour 11 restored rooms in this early 19th-century mansion, one of the most richly appointed and historically accurate sites remaining from this dramatic period in American history.
The Museum organizes and sponsors a variety of lectures and other special events and programs, inviting the public to join us in our exploration of American society in the 1800s. Please explore what’s happening at the Museum for more information on our schedule of these activities and their content.
The Museum of the Confederacy Magazine, a 32-page color quarterly publication combines articles about the collection with Museum events and news.The only way to receive this magazine is to become a Museum member so Join Today! The Museum has also published several catalogues and journals based on our popular collections and exhibitions. These publications are available for purchase through our online store. You can also sign up for the monthly e-newsletter to stay up to date with Museum news.
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#9 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
Museum of the Confederacy
Richmond VA
~0.24 miles from Richmond city center
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The Museum of the Confederacy is located in Richmond, Virginia. The museum includes the former White House of the Confederacy and maintains a comprehensive collection of artifacts, manuscripts and photographs from the Confederate States of America and the American Civil War (1861-1865).
The White House of the Confederacy is a gray stuccoed neoclassical mansion built in 1818 by John Brockenbrough, who was president of the Bank of Virginia. Designed by Robert Mills, Brockenbrough’s private residence was built in early nineteenth century Richmond's affluent Shockoe Hill neighborhood (later known as the Court End District), and was two blocks north of the Virginia State Capitol. Among his neighbors were U.S. Chief Justice John Marshall, Aaron Burr, defense attorney John Wickham, and future U.S. Senator Benjamin Watkins Leigh.
Sold by the Brockenbrough family in 1844, the house passed through a succession of wealthy families throughout the antebellum period, including U.S. Congressman and future Confederate Secretary of War James Seddon. Just prior to the American Civil War, Lewis Dabney Crenshaw purchased the house and added a third floor. He sold the home to the City of Richmond, which in turn rented it to the Confederate government as its Executive Mansion.
Jefferson Davis, his wife Varina, and their children moved into the house in August 1861, and lived there for the remainder of the war. Davis suffered from recurring bouts with malaria, facial neuralgia, cataracts (in his left eye), unhealed wounds from the Mexican War (bone spurs in his heel), and insomnia. Consequently, President Davis maintained an at-home office on the second floor of the White House. This was an unusual practice at that time – the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC, was not added until the Theodore Roosevelt Administration. President Davis’ personal secretary, Colonel Burton Harrison, also lived in the house.
The Davis family was quite young during their stay at the White House of the Confederacy. When they moved in the First Family consisted of the President and First Lady, six year-old Margaret, four year-old Jefferson Davis, Jr., and two year-old Joseph. The two youngest Davis children, William and Varina Anne (“Winnie”), were born in the White House, in 1861 and 1864, respectively. Among their neighborhood playmates was George Smith Patton, whose father commanded the 22nd Virginia Infantry, and whose son commanded the U.S. Third Army in World War Two. Joseph Davis died in the spring of 1864, after a 15-foot fall from the railing on the White House’s east portico. Mrs. Davis’ mother and sister were occasional visitors to the Confederate executive mansion.
The house was abandoned during the evacuation of Richmond on April 2, 1865. Within twelve hours, soldiers from Major General Godfrey Weitzel’s XVIII Corps seized the former Confederate White House, intact. President Abraham Lincoln, who was in nearby City Point (now Hopewell, Virginia), traveled up the James River to tour the captured city, and visited Davis' former residence for about three hours - although the President only toured the first floor, feeling it would be improper to visit the more private second floor of another man's home. Admiral David Porter accompanied Lincoln during the visit to the former Confederate executive mansion. They held a number of meetings with local officials in the White House. Among them was Confederate Brigadier General Joseph Reid Anderson, who owned the Tredegar Iron Works.
During Reconstruction, the White House of the Confederacy served as the headquarters for Military District Number One (Virginia), and was occasionally used as the residence of the commanding officer of the Department of Virginia. Among those who served there were Major Generals Edward O.C. Ord, Alfred Terry, Henry Halleck, and Edward R.S. Canby. When Reconstruction ended in Virginia, (October 1870), the City of Richmond retook possession of the house, and subsequently used it as Richmond Central School, one of the first public schools in postwar Richmond.
When the City announced its plans to demolish the building to make way for a more modern school building in 1890, the Confederate Memorial Literary Society was formed with the sole purpose of saving the White House from destruction.
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#10 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
Richmond Convention Center
300 North 5th Street Richmond VA - 804-783-7300
~0.25 miles from Richmond city center
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The Richmond Convention Center is located in downtown Richmond, Virginia. The Convention Center offers a variety of banquet halls and meeting rooms perfect for any occasion.
The sheer size and central location of the Greater Richmond Convention Center make it one of the most desirable meeting destinations in the Mid-Atlantic region. Situated in the heart of Virginia's capital city, just minutes from Richmond International Airport, the enormous 700,000-square-foot facility sits on 5 and 1/2 city blocks. Interior accommodations include 178,159 square feet of exhibit space, 32 meeting rooms and the 30,550-square foot Grand Ballroom.
Parking is made easy thanks to adjoining decks that can handle 1,540 vehicles. Nearly 4,600 additional spaces are located within a six-block radius of the site. The Richmond Marriott rests adjacent to the Center, while a plethora of 3 to 5 star accommodations are within easy reach.
Nearby attractions include: The Diamond, a venue that hosts professional and collegiate baseball; the Virginia State Capitol Building; and the Richmond Coliseum, home to minor league hockey and various concerts.
http://www.richmondcenter.com/home.html
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#11 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
Monumental Church
Richmond VA
~0.26 miles from Richmond city center
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Monumental Church is an Episcopal Church that stands at 1224 E. Broad Street between N. 12th and College Streets in Richmond, Virginia. It is one of America's earliest and most distinctive Greek Revival churches and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a National Historic Landmark and is located in the Court End historic district.
The building consists of two parts, a crypt and a church. The crypt is located beneath the sanctuary and contains the remains of those claimed by the Richmond Theatre fire of 1811. The church is an octagonal construction of brick and Aquia sandstone with a stucco coat.
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#12 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
Richmond Coliseum
Richmond VA
~0.31 miles from Richmond city center
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Built in 1971 and located in downtown Richmond, VA, the Richmond Coliseum is Central Virginia’s best multi-purpose entertainment venue. Sporting events, concerts, conventions, family shows…it all happens at the Richmond Coliseum.
Richmond Coliseum is an arena in Richmond, Virginia, where the SPHL Richmond Renegades played until the 2008-2009 season and the AIFA Richmond Raiders will play starting with the 2010 season. It is also the venue for various large concerts. The arena opened in 1971 and holds 13,500 people. A small fire occurred there in 1997, shutting it down for repairs. It is managed by SMG.
The Richmond Coliseum is also the former part-time home of the American Basketball Association (1967–1976) Virginia Squires. The Squires, based in Norfolk, VA, played there (in addition to the Roanoke Civic Center, Norfolk Scope and Hampton Coliseum; all within the state of Virginia) from 1971 to 1976. It also hosted the Southern Conference men's basketball tournaments in 1973 and 1974.
The Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball tournament was held there in 1988. The Colonial Athletic Association men's (NCAA) collegiate basketball tournament has been contested at the Richmond Coliseum since 1990. On March 1, 2006, a deal was signed to keep the tournament in Richmond until 2012. The Coliseum served as the primary home for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference post-season basketball tournaments through the 2005-06 season, with some games played at the Arthur Ashe Athletic Center. VCU defeated George Mason 71-50 in the CAA Championship game on March 9, 2009.
Until John Paul Jones Arena opened in 2006, the Richmond Coliseum was the largest sports arena in Virginia. The Virginia Commonwealth University Rams men's basketball team played there until the 7,500-seat Alltel Pavilion on the VCU campus, opened in 1999.
In 1994, the Coliseum hosted the Women's NCAA Division I Basketball Championship. Charlotte Smith of the University of North Carolina sank a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to defeat Louisiana Tech, 60-59, in the final.
It has been a regular stop for professional wrestling promotions through the years, including the old NWA Mid-Atlantic territory, and more recently, World Wrestling Entertainment. In recent years, it hosted the fifteenth WWF In Your House pay-per-view in 1997 and hosted WWE Armageddon on December 17, 2006.
The Coliseum has also been a site for the Professional Bull Riders. In 1998 and 1999 a Bud Light Cup event known as the Lane Frost Memorial was held in the Coliseum; the PBR returned in 2007 to host minor-league tour stops sponsored by former bull rider Greg Potter.
On October 22, 2008, it hosted a rally for Presidential Candidate Barack Obama, drawing over 13,000 people. A similar crowd was drawn for the 2009 Republican Party of Virginia convention.
http://www.richmondcoliseum.net/
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#13 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
Greater Richmond Convention Center
Richmond VA
~0.38 miles from Richmond city center
Hotels Close to Greater Richmond Convention Center
The Greater Richmond Convention Center is located in downtown Richmond, Virginia. The Convention Center offers a variety of banquet halls and meeting rooms perfect for any occasion.
The sheer size and central location of the Greater Richmond Convention Center make it one of the most desirable meeting destinations in the Mid-Atlantic region. Situated in the heart of Virginia's capital city, just minutes from Richmond International Airport, the enormous 700,000-square-foot facility sits on 5 and 1/2 city blocks. Interior accommodations include 178,159 square feet of exhibit space, 32 meeting rooms and the 30,550-square foot Grand Ballroom.
Parking is made easy thanks to adjoining decks that can handle 1,540 vehicles. Nearly 4,600 additional spaces are located within a six-block radius of the site. The Richmond Marriott rests adjacent to the Center, while a plethora of 3 to 5 star accommodations are within easy reach.
Nearby attractions include: The Diamond, a venue that hosts professional and collegiate baseball; the Virginia State Capitol Building; and the Richmond Coliseum, home to minor league hockey and various concerts.
http://www.richmondcenter.com
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#14 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
Black History Museum Cultural
0 E Clay St Richmond VA - 804-780-9093
~0.53 miles from Richmond city center
Hotels Close to Black History Museum Cultural
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#15 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar
Richmond VA
~0.66 miles from Richmond city center
Hotels Close to American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar
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#16 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
Virginia Fire and Police Museum
200 W Marshall St Richmond VA - 804-644-1849
~0.69 miles from Richmond city center
Hotels Close to Virginia Fire and Police Museum
The museum covers Virginia fire and police history, collections include antique fire apparatus, photos from 1875 - 1960s, police related items dating from 1790 to the present.
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#17 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
Edgar Allan Poe Museum
1914 E Main St Richmond VA - 804-648-5523
~0.71 miles from Richmond city center
Hotels Close to Edgar Allan Poe Museum
The Edgar Allan Poe Museum is a museum located in Richmond, Virginia, dedicated to American writer Edgar Allan Poe. Though Poe never lived in the building, it serves to commemorate his time living in Richmond. The museum holds one of the world's largest collections of original manuscripts, letters, first editions, memorabilia and personal belongings. The museum also provides an overview early 19th century Richmond, where Poe lived and worked. The museum features the life and career of Edgar Allan Poe by documenting his accomplishments with pictures, relics, and verse, and focusing on his many years in Richmond.
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#18 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
Virginia Commonwealth Univ
600 W Franklin St Richmond VA - 804-828-0100
~0.93 miles from Richmond city center
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Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a large, public American research university with two main campuses located in downtown Richmond, Virginia. VCU is an urban university with one of the largest enrollments in Virginia, with over 32,000 students.
VCU was founded through a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968.
It is classified as one of three Virginia research universities with high research activity by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Its Monroe Park Campus (formerly called the Academic Campus) is located near the The Fan , while the Medical Campus is in the Court End Neighborhood.
http://www.vcu.edu/
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#19 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
St. John's Episcopal Church
Richmond VA
~0.99 miles from Richmond city center
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St. John's is an Episcopal church located in Richmond, Virginia.
St. John's Episcopal Church is the oldest church in Richmond, built in 1741 and giving its name to the Church Hill district. St. John's was formed from several earlier churches. It was the site of two important conventions in the period leading to the American Revolutionary War, and is most famous as the location where Patrick Henry gave his closing speech at the Second Virginia Convention with the famous quotation "Give me liberty or give me death."
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#20 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
Old Dominion Railway Museum
102 Hull St Richmond VA - 804-233-6237
~1.01 miles from Richmond city center
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Attraction type: Transportation museum
http://www.odcnrhs.org/
Address: 102 Hull St Richmond, VA 23224
Tel: 804 233 6237
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#21 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
Richmond Virginia Seminary
2318 N St Richmond VA - 804-780-0103
~1.02 miles from Richmond city center
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#22 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
Landmark Theater
Richmond VA
~1.03 miles from Richmond city center
Hotels Close to Landmark Theater
The Landmark Theater in Richmond, Virginia, United States is a theater at the southwest corner of Monroe Park. It is so named because it is "one of the best known buildings in Richmond." Formerly known as "The Mosque," the Landmark was constructed in 1926 to be used by the Shriners as the ACCA Temple Shrine. The city purchased the building in the 1940's and refurbished it between 1994 and 1995. It is currently a very popular venue, hosting a number of big-name musical and theatrical performers each year.
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#23 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
Richmond Landmark Theater
Richmond VA
~1.04 miles from Richmond city center
Hotels Close to Richmond Landmark Theater
CenterStage Foundation, formerly known as the Virginia Performing Arts Foundation, was created to bring a vibrant, diverse and accessible performing arts complex to downtown Richmond. Thanks to the generosity and enthusiasm of the City of Richmond, State of Virginia, many corporate partners, foundations and individuals, the Foundation has brought CenterStage to life. Through the enormous support of citizens in and around Richmond and the passionate work of so many volunteers, the Foundation was proud to host the Grand Opening of Richmond CenterStage on September 12, 2009, kicking off an inaugural season full of enterainment and excitement.
Our Vision
To be a catalyst for creative and vibrant arts throughout the Richmond region.
Our Mission
To promote an inspiring environment where performing arts will flourish and strengthen Richmond’s cultural, social and economic vitality.
To provide support and strengthen relationships among visual, performing and all cultural arts.
To broaden audience participation through diverse and innovative programming and community engagement.
To create transformational performing arts educational opportunities for students of all ages.
To assist in the development of strategies for new and enhanced performing arts venues and related real estate.
To provide financial support for the operations of all Richmond CenterStage venues.
For further information please call (804) 327-5755 or info@richmondcenterstage.com.
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#24 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
Hollywood Cemetery
Richmond VA
~1.04 miles from Richmond city center
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Hollywood Cemetery is a large, sprawling cemetery located at 412 South Cherry Street in Richmond, Virginia. Characterized by rolling hills and winding paths overlooking the James River, it is the resting place of two United States Presidents, James Monroe and John Tyler, as well as the only Confederate States President, Jefferson Davis. It is also the resting place of 25 Confederate generals, more than any other cemetery in the country. Included are George Pickett and J.E.B. Stuart.
Hollywood Cemetery was opened in 1849, constructed on land known as "Harvie's Woods" that was once owned by William Byrd II. It was designed in the rural garden style, with its name, "Hollywood," coming from the holly trees dotting the hills of the property.
In 1869, a 90-foot (27 m) high granite pyramid was built as a memorial to the more than 18,000 enlisted men of the Confederate Army buried in the cemetery.
Hollywood Cemetery is one of Richmond's major tourist attractions. There are many local legends surrounding certain tombs and grave sites in the cemetery, including one about a little girl and the black iron statue of a dog standing watch over her grave; a photo can be found here. Other notable legends rely on ghosts haunting the many mausoleums. One of the most well-known of these is the legend of the Richmond Vampire.
A place rich in history, legend, and gothic landscape, Hollywood Cemetery is also frequented by many of the local students attending Virginia Commonwealth University.
http://www.hollywoodcemetery.org/
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#25 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
Beth Ahabah Museum and Archives
1109 W Franklin St Richmond VA - 804-353-2668
~1.38 miles from Richmond city center
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The Beth Ahabah Museum & Archives collects, preserves and interprets the history and culture of Richmond's Jewish community.
The Museum was established in 1977 to gather and preserve the existing records and artifacts concerning Kahal Kadosh Beth Shalome and Congregation Beth Ahabah, as well as those documents essential to understanding the Richmond and Southern Jewish experience. Its collections are housed in an early 20th century house adjacent to the congregation's sanctuary, and features three galleries of changing exhibits. These exhibits are seen by over 1500 visitors annually, and the museum's archival research center receives inquiries from around the world.
The Museum's collections—including original documents and personal, sacred, and secular artifacts from the 18th to the 21st centuries—reveals hundreds of stories that paint a picture of Richmond's Jewish community and the significant roles Congregation members played in building the city. The core of the collection is the congregational documents of Beth Shalome and Beth Ahabah. A visitor will also find genealogies, Civil War correspondence, immigration papers, over 1000 photographs from rare ambrotypes to contemporary snapshots, and a wide variety of ritual objects from Kiddush cups to Hannukah menorahs.
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#26 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
Reynolds Gallery
1514 W Main St Richmond VA - 804-355-6553
~1.49 miles from Richmond city center
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#27 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
Richmond National Battlefield
3215 E Broad St Richmond VA - 804-226-1981
~1.49 miles from Richmond city center
Hotels Close to Richmond National Battlefield
Richmond National Battlefield Park commemorates more than 30 American Civil War sites around Richmond, Virginia. The park's preserved battlefields include Beaver Dam Creek, Gaines' Mill, Glendale, and Malvern Hill, all sites of battles during the 1862 Seven Days Battles, as well as the 1864 battles of Cold Harbor and New Market Heights, site of 14 Medals of Honor for United States Colored Troops. The park, which also includes Drewry's Bluff and Parker's Battery in Chesterfield County, and the Confederacy's largest wartime hospital, has its main visitor center at the Tredegar Iron Works and smaller visitor centers at Cold Harbor, Glendale, and Fort Harrison.
The national battlefield park was authorized on March 2, 1936. Today, over 68,000 people visit the park. As with all historical areas administered by the National Park Service, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.
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#28 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
Virginia Union University (VUU)
1500 N Lombardy St Richmond VA - 804-257-5600
~1.64 miles from Richmond city center
Hotels Close to Virginia Union University (VUU)
Virginia Union University (VUU) is a historically black university located in Richmond, Virginia. It was formed in 1899 by the merger of two older schools, Richmond Theological Institute and Wayland Seminary, each founded after the end of American Civil War by the American Baptist Home Mission Society. VUU's 84-acre (340,000 m2) campus is located at 1500 North Lombardy Street in Richmond's North Side.
Virginia Union University seeks to maximize the potential of individuals from varied academic backgrounds within the context of a challenging and nurturing academic environment, offering students the opportunity to excel as scholars and leaders.
The University was founded in 1865 to give the newly emancipated freedmen an opportunity for education of the mind in an ethical, religious environment. Excellent teaching and enlightened guidance for all students remain the institution's primary emphases. An historically black university, Virginia Union University embraces the uniqueness and contributions of the African Diaspora, celebrating the value of cultural and intellectual diversity.
Seeking to empower students for the pursuit of life-long learning, the University provides comprehensive undergraduate liberal arts programs and graduate education for Christian ministries. To this end, a guiding principle of the University's educational program is a strong focus upon moral values and ethics, and students are encouraged to engage in activities that promote self-actualization.
http://www.vuu.edu/
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#29 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
Jefferson Davis Monument
Richmond VA
~2.23 miles from Richmond city center
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Simon Bolivar Buckner, Sr., a Confederate general, first proposed the idea of a monument for Davis during a reunion of the Orphan Brigade of the Confederate Army in 1907. Construction began in 1917 but stopped in 1918 at a height of 175 feet (53 m) due to building material rationing during World War I. Construction resumed in January 1922 and was finished in 1924 at a cost of $200,000. The base was constructed of limestone quarried from the site. The concrete walls are 8.5 feet (2.6 m) thick at the base and taper to 2.5 feet (0.76 m) thick at the top. The monument was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 as structure #73000849. The obelisk was closed to the public from 1999 until May 2004 for renovations and construction of a new visitor center. An elevator takes visitors to an observation platform at the top.
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#30 of 30 Things To Do in Richmond
Science Museum of Virginia
Richmond VA
~2.28 miles from Richmond city center
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The Science Museum of Virginia is a science museum located in Richmond, Virginia.
In 1906, the Virginia General Assembly approved funds for the construction of a simple "exhibits center" to display mineral and timber exhibits being assembled for the Jamestown Exposition of 1907. After the exposition ended, many of the items were moved to Richmond's Capitol Square. The "State Museum", as it came to be known, opened in 1910 and over the years displays of natural history specimens from a variety of State agencies were added to its collection.
In 1942, the General Assembly created a study commission to consider the establishment of an official State science museum, and in 1943, that commission strongly endorsed the creation of a "Virginia Museum of Science". Unfortunately, the fiscal restraints and pressing concerns of World War II, and the recession which followed it, prevented the General Assembly from taking further action, and in 1946, the General Assembly suspended further work on a State science museum pending the identification of appropriate space and funds.
By 1964, the General Assembly once again considered what to do with the "State Museum". A new study was commissioned, and once again, the establishment of a "museum of science, archeology, and natural history" was proposed, but this measure died in committee. Shortly thereafter, the museum's displays and collections in the basement of the state's Financial Building were gradually disassembled and their collections were dispersed to various State universities.
However, the closing of the "State Museum" galvanized the state's scientific community, and between 1965 and 1967, the Virginia Academy of Sciences, led by Dr. Roscoe D. Hughes, vigorously lobbied Virginia's Governor, Mills E. Godwin, to sponsor legislation in the General Assembly to finally establish the State science museum. Enabling legislation was drafted and approved by the General Assembly, and on July 1, 1970, the Science Museum of Virginia was born.
Over the next several years, the Museum attempted to find an empty storefront, warehouse, or other space which could be used as a temporary home. Friends of the Museum pressed the State to allow the Museum to move into part of the old Broad Street Station, which had recently been purchased from the railroad company by the State and was destined for the wrecking ball. Broad Street Station was built by the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad (RF&P) in 1917 in the neoclassical style by the architect John Russell Pope. Although the station also served the trains of theAtlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL), the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W), and eventually the Seaboard Air Line Railway (SAL), much of the stock of the R,F & P was owned by the State of Virginia's Retirement System, dating to a period before the American Civil War when it was a major investment in Virginia's future. The Museum's staff occupied Broad Street Station on January 22, 1976.
On January 6, 1977, Governor Godwin, then in his second term, presided over the dedication of the Science Museum's first exhibit gallery, The Discovery Room. The event celebrated the fifty-eighth anniversary and rebirth of Broad Street Station and the culmination of over seventy years of effort to establish the Science Museum of Virginia.
A remodeled and greatly expanded Aquarium opened in 1981. That same year, the world's largest analemmic sundial, located in the Museum's parking lot, was dedicated. It would later be listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.
In 1982 the Museum introduced Crystal World, the largest and most comprehensive exhibit in the world on the subject of crystallography. Also introduced was the Solar Challenger, the world's first successful solar airplane, which had just completed a world tour to celebrate its first solar-powered flight from Paris to London.
In 1983 the Museum dedicated its new Universe Planetarium & Space Theater. The Theater's Digistar planetarium projector was the world's first computer/video planetarium projection system and the first that could take visitors on simulated trips through both time and space. Its film projection system was only one of a handful around the world capable of showing extremely exciting and realistic 70mm Omnimax films. The theaters' sound system featured over one hundred individual speakers and generated enough power to simulate earthquakes and rocket lift-offs. The seventy-six-foot domed screen of the theater itself was then the world's largest.
In 2003 the Museum unveiled the Grand Kugel, the world's largest kugel ball at a cost of $1.5 million dollars. The Grand Kugel was originally carved from an 86-ton block of South African black granite. It was 8 feet, 8.7 inches in diameter, and it floated on a base of granite. Shortly after installation, the Grand Kugel began to crack. The crack eventually spread through the sphere, rendering it unfloatable. A replacement kugel ball was installed in October 2005. The original kugel is still on display behind the museum.
http://www.smv.org/
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