Mayo Island is a privately-owned 13-acre island at the fall line of the James River in Downtown Richmond. It provides access between Shockoe Bottom and downtown to Manchester, on the south bank of the city, by way of the 14th Street Bridge.
The island has beautiful views of the James River and the city's skyline but also lies within the floodwall and is within the river's path.
The island also has a large homeless and transient population, and on my recent visit to the island, the landscape was a wasteland of garbage, food containers, bottles and cans, old clothing, broken camping gear and makeshift shanties. Such a beautiful and historic location deserves better treatment and care, no matter who owns the land.
Mayo Island is owned mostly by Dr. Fred T. Shaia and his family, with a smaller portion owned by Louis Heindl. Total assessment value for the real estate is $1,105,000. The island is largely paved over on both sides, covered with a huge concrete slab on the west side behind Wise Recycling. The east side has a large parking lot and two warehouses, which are currently being rented as space for artists.
Over the years, there have been proposals for development of the island, which has been designated as potential parkland in a series of downtown master plans. In three riverfront forums in late 2011, there were many suggestions, from a complete return to nature to adding nature trails all the way to building mixed-use or residential developments on the island, which would require an additional bridge that would be above the floodplain.
Development would not be entirely new to Mayo Island. Among the highlights:
The Richmond Colts, a minor league baseball team, played at a ballpark there called Tate Field from 1921 to 1941. Tate Field was flooded several times before finally burning down. Another team called the Giants played on Mayo in the late 19th century.
Among other things, it has been home to outdoor concerts and paddlers used the island for years as a takeout until the access point at 14th Street was completed in 2005.
THE BRIDGE
The Mayo Bridge (14th Street Bridge) was named for the Irish entrepreneur Colonel John Mayo, who built the first bridge in the city at this site in 1784, and later became mayor of Richmond. The current bridge was completed in 1911 and the architecture is based on the Pont Neuf bridge over the River Seine in Paris, France. The bridge still floods when the river is at 28 feet or above. This site marks the end of the seven-mile long Falls of the James. The river drops more than 100 feet between Bosher's Dam in western Richmond and Mayo Island, the beginning of the tidal James River.
NEARBY ATTRACTIONS
The small islands west of Mayo Island are (from the north) Bailey's Island, Devil's Kitchen Island (in the center of the river) and Shad Island. Ownership of these islands has often been subject to debate, but a prevailing rumor has been that they are owned by the University of North Carolina after being donated to the school at some point. A spur line of the Norfolk Southern Railroad crosses over these islands past the far eastern end of the path and the 14th Street (Mayo's) Bridge can seen under the tracks. The Richmond Floodwall, Canal Walk, Shockoe Slip and Shockoe Bottom are all within a short distance. Great Shiplock Park and Ancarrow's Landing can be seen from the east end of the island.
FISHING
Upstream of the Mayo Bridge, where the falls begin, catch smallmouth bass, channel catfish and sunfish. In the tidal area below the falls, the catch includes large blue catfish. Rockfish and others migrate through in spring. Visitors are allowed to fish from the bridge. A license is required.
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