Main Street, Richmond
Looking northwest down Main Street toward downtown Richmond.

1865
In April of 1865, General Ulysses S. Grant broke the Confederate lines around Petersburg, just south of Richmond, after a nine-month siege. The gates to the Confederate capital were open. As the city was evacuated, retreating Confederate troops set fire to their stores in order to deny them to approaching Union forces. The fire quickly spread and engulfed the Confederate arsenal, which exploded. In the end, nine hundred buildings were destroyed and hundreds more were badly damaged. Looking down Main Street, a Union supply train can be seen in the distance as it entered the center of the city. The lack of crisp detail in the distance may be attributable to the dust of the entering troops and wagons as well as smoke that may have been coming from the still-smoldering ruins.

1996
The east end of Main Street looks quite similar to the view of 1865. The fire that destroyed much of the central city didn't spread to this area. After the Civil War, development of Richmond spread west of the downtown area that resulted in many of the 19th century buildings surviving along east Main Street. This former warehouse district referred to as Shockoe Bottom has begun to turn into a restaurant, residential and entertainment area. Large modern buildings now dominate the downtown area in the distance. Interstate 95, the primary north-south route along the east coast, and a railroad bridge cross over Main Street at the point where newer buildings have replaced the older structures. The clock tower on the right side of Main is Main Street Station. Built in 1901, this building was once the grand entrance to the city for train passengers. No longer a train station, the building now serves as a state office and storage facility.


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