Confederate Retreat; Incursion of Urban Growth Threatens Stately Landmark of Civil War Capital

Byline: Christina Bellantoni, THE WASHINGTON TIMES

RICHMOND - An elite neighborhood where stately manors once housed top Confederate officials is slowly being replaced by parking garages and industrial high-rises, prompting historians to talk about moving the Museum and White House of the Confederacy.

Museum attendance has dwindled in recent years because construction projects and urban growth in the Court End neighborhood have deterred history buffs from visiting the landmark, museum officials say.

"There has been a lot of building taking place, and the ambience of the setting has been compromised," said Robert H. Lamb, a member of the museum's board of trustees. "I think Jefferson Davis would be shocked if he saw what was now surrounding the garden. It's still a wonderful building, but a lot depends on the whole experience when someone comes to visit …

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Publication information: Article title: Confederate Retreat; Incursion of Urban Growth Threatens Stately Landmark of Civil War Capital. Contributors: Not available. Newspaper title: The Washington Times (Washington, DC). Publication date: February 3, 2005. Page number: A02. © 2009 The Washington Times LLC. COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group.

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