Rose Corridor
Barton Heights History
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Barton Heights was Richmond 's first suburb community and was built through a novel financing arrangement, now known as a mortgage. Born as a speculative venture in the late 19 th century, Barton Heights retains large numbers of ornate Victorian homes built on speculative lot. Once reliant on the streetcar for the short commute to downtown, Barton Heights remains a unique zone of period architecture convenient to the city's central Business District.
In 1889, a real estate developer from Arkansas named James Barton saw the rolling hills and high plateau of what would become Barton Heights and pronounced it the finest piece of suburban land he had seen. Two hundred lots were made available for a small downpayment. Barton then built the homes for the buyer and let them take possession for a small monthly payment.
The predominate architectural style in Barton Heights during the period 1889 to 1896 was spacious Queen Anne dwellings on large lots. Variety in the architectural flavor of Barton Heights was introduced in the period around World War I. American four-square and Bungalow styles appeared along side streets and among the earlier Victorian homes.
In 1914 Barton Heights was annexed by the city of Richmond . Up until the 1940s, Barton Heights remained a white, middle-class neighborhood. Demolition of areas of the Jackson Ward neighborhood for the construction of the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike (Interstate 95) forced many black families to look elsewhere for convenient and affordable housing. Many came to Barton Heights , finding the neighborhood a desirable and comfortable place to make their home.
The Southern Barton Heights Community Association, Neighborhood Housings Services of Richmond and the city of Richmond, have embarked on the land use and redevelopment plan to reverse the physical decline of the buildings in the neighborhood. It remains a source of highly affordable, solid and architecturally unique homes. The recent renovation of some Victorian homes and the construction of new homes in the area, demonstrates the desirability of Barton Heights for many of the same reasons promoted by James Barton over 100 years ago.