Re-Photography Write-Up
Site Name: Lighthouse Diner
Date of Construction: 1941
Reason for Construction: Built to provide residents of the Manchester
area with delicious food.
Site History: The Lighthouse Diner served as a community
hangout spot. In addition, with the popularity of the Manchester area in the
1900’s, the Lighthouse Diner also attracted many tourists. From their 75 cent
burgers to their 40 cent beers, the Diner satisfies customers as they travel in
and out. The building consist of a bar area towards the back of the diner and
booths or four seated tables in the front. Moreover, the Diner served great
food, but it was especially known for its classic burgers and fries. Unfortunately,
the Diner went out of business in the late 1970’s. An important factor for the
Lighthouse closing is due to the decline of the Manchester Area.
Area History: The Manchester Residential and Commercial
Historic District is located in the city of Richmond, Virginia, on the south
side of the James River. Manchester began as an English settlement after 1609,
and later became a port for the tobacco trade. In the 1800's, Manchester and
Richmond become a major port and commercial center serving the eastern seaboard
and beyond. Manchester was granted city status in 1874, thus becoming the seat
of Chesterfield County. In 1910, Manchester was consolidated into the city of
Richmond. The Manchester Residential and Commercial Historic District is generally
bounded by Hull Street on the south. The district includes a significant number
of mid-nineteenth and early-twentieth century, residential and commercial
buildings from the former city of Manchester. The district's architecture,
which contains 248 buildings, is impressive for its variety of late nineteenth
and early-twentieth century building types and styles.
What about the site has
changed?
Presently, the
Lighthouse Diner is abandoned. When passed by, one can barely notice that the
place is a diner until they really pay attention and look inside. But, if one
would walk in today, much of the structures, such as the seats, most
accessories, and appliances, are still in good condition shape. Many businesses
have showed interest in restoring the diner, like Sugar Shack’s owner, but no
reconstruction has occurred so far. Even though the Lighthouse Diner is abandoned,
the place represents a time capsule of the 1940’s in the Manchester area. For
that reason, there is much interest into restoring the historic site.
What about the
surrounding area has changed?
After World War II, the
Manchester district began to see a steady decline. Hull Street was still an active
retail strip until the 1960s when suburban development came, such as the South
Side Plaza Shopping Center further west on Hull Street. Public housing developments evolved to the
Manchester area, so old residential buildings along the eastern edge of the
district were removed. In
the early 1970s, Overnite Transportation Company, an UPS overnite trucking
division, built its corporate headquarters on Semmes Avenue, just outside the
historic district. By 1977, J. Harwood Cochrane, founder of the OTC, had
purchased more than 160 parcels in Manchester at a cost of over $8,000,000 and
began demolishing more old buildings. The Richmond
Times Dispatch reported in 1977 that Overnite's presence had "created
an uneasiness in the neighborhood that is heightened by the roar of a bulldozer
grinding old houses into oblivion."
Reflection:
Throughout the research
of the project, we learned the flourishing qualities of the Manchester area and
how it began to decline. In addition, from the CBS news broadcast, we received
a glimpse of what life was like in that time like the prices of the food on the
menu. Moreover, we received information of what the area is to become in the
future. It would be truly awesome if the Diner could undergo reconstruction and
sell its famous burgers and fries.
Sources:
Farrar, Bill. “Turning
on the Lighthouse”. Style Weekly. Last Modified February 27, 2002.
Accessed February 3, 2015.
<http://www.styleweekly.com/richmond/turning-on-t
he-lighthouse/Content?oid=1383400>.
Crocker, John.
“Lighthouse Diner - CBS 6”. Youtube. Last Modified April 24, 2007. Accessed
February 3, 2015.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdaujTfbU-M>.
“ Manchester Residential
and Commercial Historic District.” National Park Service, U.S
Department of the Interior. Accessed March 17,
2015. <http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/ richmond/ManchesterResidentialHD.html>.
