Arthur Ashe Boulevard (Richmond, Virginia)

Arthur Ashe Boulevard (also referred to as "the Boulevard") is a historic street in the near West End of Richmond, Virginia, providing access to Byrd Park. It serves as the border between the Carytown/Museum District to the west and the Fan district to the east. Attempts were made to rename the street after Arthur Ashe, a tennis star and social activist who was born and grew up in Richmond, but previous attempts failed until February 2019 when Richmond City Council voted in favor of changing the name to Arthur Ashe Boulevard.[3][4] Near the south end is Richmond's Boulevard Bridge (commonly called the "Nickel Bridge", in reference to its historical initial toll) across the James River. Arthur Ashe Boulevard intersects with main arteries Cary Street, Main Street, Monument Avenue, Broad Street (where the Historic District ends), Leigh Street, and Interstate 64/95, and terminates at Hermitage Road. The Diamond is located on Arthur Ashe Boulevard. The intersection of Arthur Ashe Boulevard and Monument Avenue featured a statue of Stonewall Jackson.

Boulevard Historic District
Location10--300 S. Arthur Ashe Boulevard and 10--800 N. Arthur Ashe Boulevard, Richmond, Virginia
Coordinates37°33′23″N 77°28′29″W
Area61 acres (25 ha)
ArchitectDavis Bros.; Et al.
Architectural styleLate 19th And Early 20th Century American Movements, Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Late Victorian
NRHP reference No.86002887 [1]
VLR No.127-0398
Significant dates
Added to NRHPSeptember 18, 1986
Designated VLRFebruary 18, 1986[2]

Arthur Ashe Boulevard is designated as State Route 161, a route promoted in the 1940s and 1950s as an alternate bypass route before the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike and Interstate 95 were built, connecting with U.S. Route 1 north and south of downtown Richmond.

In 2019 American artist Kehinde Wiley's outdoor sculpture Rumors of War was erected adjacent to Arthur Ashe Boulevard. It is part of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts permanent art collection. It stands between the museum and the United Daughters of the Confederacy headquarters. The sculpture was created by Wiley as a response to the J.E.B. Stuart monument and the other Confederate equestrian statues on Monument Avenue.[5][6]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. "Virginia Landmarks Register" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-09-27. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  3. Lazarus, Jeremy (9 August 2018). "Plan launched to rename the Boulevard for tennis great Arthur Ashe Jr". richmondfreepress.com. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  4. Robinson, Mark (11 February 2019). "Richmond City Council renames Boulevard for Arthur Ashe". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  5. "Sculpture Created by Kehinde Wiley for VMFA - VMFA". 2019-11-12. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  6. Capps, Kriston. "Kehinde Wiley's Anti-Confederate Memorial". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2020-04-17.


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