Welcome to Downtown Short Pump
In 1995, just 14 years ago, West Broad Street was a two lane road that meandered through the countryside. Just to the east, the sprawling Innsbrook office park was booming. Wellesley, now an established master-planned community, was going up to the south. The little country crossroads was virtually surrounded at this point. It was only a matter of time until it was bombarded by development.
More and more cars were on the roads in Short Pump and the first traffic light in the area was installed at Broad and Pouncey Tract. The Virginia Department of Transportation was also drafting plans to widen Broad from Interstate 64 to just past Lauderdale Drive. In the way of the road were three Short Pump landmarks-- Short Pump Grocery, Henley’s Store and Short Pump Garage.
VDOT determined that the structures would have to be razed to make way for the expanded six lane roadway.
Determined to save the area’s history, local residents banded together and formulated a plan to move the buildings out of harm’s way. The Pruitt family, owners of the picturesque farm with the white picket fence across from Short Pump Town Center, spearheaded the project and provided funding for the transportation of the buildings to their property off Route 623 in Centerville.
Residents came out in droves to say goodbye to the Goochland-bound buildings that greeted passersby on Broad Street for many decades in their original locations just before daybreak on Sunday, May 5, 1996.
While the grocery store and garage were both able to be carefully hoisted up on trucks and moved westward, it was determined that Henley’s Store wouldn’t make the cut. Many utility lines would have to be moved, the Route 623 Bridge over Interstate 64 in Goochland could not safely support the weight, and termites had also severely damaged the structure and made it extremely frail. The building fell to the bulldozer on the morning of Monday, May 6, 1996.
The widening of Broad, once completed, could be compared to the opening of a flood gate.
The lush countryside was now highly accessible and ripe for development. By mid-1997, Short Pump had gone from a rural outpost to a suburban destination with its own Ukrop’s, Target, Home Depot, fitness center and ice skating rink. By late 1999, a 14-screen Regal Cinemas and Barnes & Noble had come to Short Pump, and plans were on the table for a 1.2 million square foot regional open-air mall that would be known as Short Pump Town Center.
Crews cleared 147-acres of countryside for the project that opened in 2003, both setting a precedent for upscale development and solidifying the area’s emerging status as arguably the hottest new place in Metro Richmond.
With the gradual opening of West Broad Village and a huge Hilton Hotel and Conference Center (soon to be the second largest hotel in Richmond), going up as we speak, you could say Short Pump’s really come into its own and might just be a city in and of itself.
All that remains of the true, original Short Pump as it was known for centuries is a historical marker and two sign posts that mark the boundaries of the once sleepy little town.
Short Pump Town Center honors the area’s heritage with a fountain filled with "short pumps" and a children’s play area with miniature replica of the old Henley’s Store.
Next time you’re sitting in traffic waiting to get into Short Pump Town Center or fighting the crowds at the Short Pump Regal Cinemas, take a deep breath, relax, and remember the simpler days, back when no one was rushing to dinner or to get the kids to soccer practice and folks just kicked back with a Nehi soda and counted two to three cars an hour on Broad Street. Those days are gone.
Welcome to beautiful Downtown Short Pump. No longer a joke, but a reality.
This is the third article in a series about the history of Short Pump, the growing suburban community west of Richmond. Trevor Dickerson, is the founder and managing editor of DowntownShortPump.com and a regular contributor to Richmond.com.
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