Richmond Neighborhoods: Manchester

Today, the Manchester district is perhaps best known for its trendy real estate makeovers and white-hot art scene. Go back 175 years, though, and the district was a bustling port city whose productivity rivaled Richmond, its twin city across the James River.

Manchester’s early business success centered on the slave trade, said Kerry Riley, a real estate agent with One South Realty Group. It also exported coal and tobacco, and by the 1800s it was a major port and commercial center. Buoyed by industrial growth after the Civil War, Manchester served as the county seat for Chesterfield County from 1871 to 1874, after which it became an independent city.

Its independent streak ended in 1910, when it consolidated with the city of Richmond. Today, the district runs south from the James River to Maury Street and east from Cowardin Avenue to Interstate 95.

Although the district’s oldest surviving building – the Archibald Freeland House at 1015 Bainbridge St. – was built around 1797, the majority of the historic houses still standing today date from the late 1800s to the early 1900s.

Not surprisingly, the architectural styles vary in the district, reflecting shifts in aesthetic tastes.

"Formally, the predominant style would be defined as Italianate – two- to three-story structures with low-sloping roofs, tall windows and lightly ornamented overhanging eaves," said Jeremy Connell, founder and principal of Pareto LLC, a Manchester-based development and construction management services firm.

"Probably the second most common style is Queen Anne," he added. "These are typically much larger, stand-alone buildings on larger lots. Stylistically, the Queen Annes are more ornate than the Italianates."

Housing options in Manchester aren’t limited to traditional single-family dwellings, though. In the last decade, some of the district’s industrial buildings have been converted into loft-style apartments and condominiums, as well as offices. And it’s redefining the district.

"When I moved to Manchester in 2003, the market had just started looking to Manchester for progressive housing opportunities," Connell said.

Back then, a single converted warehouse with 14 apartments – Warehouse 201 – "was the only game in town attracting young pioneers across the James River," he added. "Now, more than 1,000 multifamily units – condos and apartments – have been added to the list of available housing in Manchester."

Connell’s firm is currently planning to develop the building that formerly housed a car dealership at 616 Hull St. into a mixed-use commercial and residential complex. It will be called Manchester Motorworks.

All those new housing options have led to a significant jump in Manchester’s population, which has grown "57 percent in the last decade," Riley said.

Many of the new residents are drawn to the district by its proximity to jobs in downtown Richmond, he added. (The Lee, Mayo and Manchester bridges tie Manchester to the city’s central business district.) "It’s also close to Shockoe Slip and Shockoe Bottom for entertainment in the evening."

The nearby James River offers hiking, running, fishing and kayaking options, as well. But the biggest attraction might be the district’s hip appeal.

"It has a funky, cool loft style to it," Riley said.