I Love the North Side

Stately trees, interesting architecture and friendly neighbors characterize North Side’s historic neighborhoods

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My wife and I moved to the North Side from New Jersey in August 2011, the day an earthquake hit the Richmond region. The following weekend Hurricane Irene arrived, bringing down trees and totaling our car. The next day during cleanup, we met our wonderful neighbors and have loved living here ever since.

U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, who has lived on the North Side for more than 30 years, says, “We love the old houses. We love the large trees. But what we really love are the people. Our friends and neighbors mean so much to us.”

HISTORY

The North Side of Richmond includes, among many other communities, the neighborhoods of Ginter Park, Bellevue and Laburnum Park. Lewis Ginter is usually associated with the creation of North Side, but he died in 1897 and wasn’t around for the construction of the neighborhoods. Ginter donated land for Union Theological Seminary on Brook Road, and the seminary remains the architectural center of the area with its unique red-brick facade. Construction of the neighborhoods began in the first decade of the 20th century with the mansions on the 3500 block of Seminary Avenue. The work on Bellevue and Laburnum Park began around 1894, when John Pope, who had purchased the farmland that now comprises the two neighborhoods, had the Bellevue Arch constructed as an imposing and welcoming entrance.

RECREATION

The Lewis Ginter Recreation Association has three pools and a community center, where neighbors gather for swimming and cookouts in the summer. At the north end of North Side is Pine Camp Arts and Community Center, nestled on 30 acres, which hosts dance, art, theater and after-school programs. Bellevue Avenue dead ends into Bryan Park, with hiking trails, an acclaimed azalea garden, sports fields and two waterfalls. If you’re in the mood for a labyrinth, check out the one off Westwood Avenue and Brook Road; it’s a walking meditation patterned after one laid in the early 13th century on the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France.

LIVING

We live in a Dutch colonial house nearly 100 years old. The North Side offers a wonderful variety of architecture, from small cottages and bungalows to Colonial Revival, Spanish Colonial, American Foursquare, Queen Anne and Tudor Revival mansions. The old, tall trees are the great attraction of the area. Some of the more beautiful tree-lined streets include Seminary Avenue in Ginter Park, Pope Avenue in Bellevue and Confederate Avenue in Laburnum Park. The Lewis Ginter Community Center, built in 1906, is the most prominent example of the Tudor Revival style on the North Side. Just off Brook Road sits the Laburnum House, also built in 1906, which has recently been used to stage a Civil War hospital on the PBS drama “Mercy Street.”

DINING

Dining on North Side begins and ends with the North Side Grille on Bellevue Avenue, the “Cheers” where locals gather for happy hour and also for family dining, including brunch. Enoteca Sogno, also on Bellevue, offers a seasonal menu of authentic Italian food.

On MacArthur Avenue in Bellevue is the Mill on MacArthur, a family-friendly restaurant that offers home-style food featuring locally farmed ingredients and Virginia beers. All the rage right now is the newly opened Demi’s Mediterranean Kitchen, with an eclectic menu of Greek, Turkish, French and Spanish foods.

SHOPPING

For food shopping and local products, try Little House Green Grocery. For great wine and beer selections, check out Once Upon a Vine and say hello to its owner, Bob Kocher, affectionately known as the “Mayor of MacArthur.” On your way out, stop off at Ginter Parked food truck in the parking lot with a menu including dynamite lump crabcakes, seasoned salmon over arugula, and pork loin braised in milk.