Westwood: “a neighborhood that began in ‘the golden era of postwar expansion’”

The “Home” section of the Richmond Times-Dispatch and Doug Childers wrote a lovely article on this little neighborhood located off of Libbie Avenue between Monument Avenue and Broad Street on Saturday, August 18^th, just this past weekend. It is part of their popular series about the many of the neighborhoods in and around Richmond that have captured the attention of casual readers and historians alike. Corbin Ryland and I have a shared listing here, and as a result our good fortunes were able to garner a bit of free advertizing for us.

The article describes the expansion befalling Short Pump during the boom of the eighties and nineties, but in comparison was nothing to that of near western Henrico at the conclusion of the Second World War. Baby Boomers were exploding and building homes close to where Saint Mary’s Hospital is located. It was “the county’s largest residential expansion” during those years. It is popular again today for much of the same reasons it developed back then.

The history of the neighborhood briefly touches on the fact that Westwood was established on the former golf course once belonging to what is now The Westwood Club, currently a racket and swim club. Prior to the Great Depression, The Westwood Officer’s Club was on the fringe of the sticks, mostly agricultural land, and they owned much of the property from Monument Avenue to Broad Street and all the way to Willow Lawn. The Great Depression resulted in selling off the land in order to keep the club from completely disappearing, and it remains a popular feature there today.

While Westwood is a shining example of beautiful near west end, post-war homes, in a matured neighborhood, I can’t help imagining how differently it may have evolved if the Great Depression didn’t come along and vastly change the landscape in this area of town. Nevertheless, it now continues to attract buyers because of its mutual approximation to the far west end, and to down town. It appeals to those downsizing as well as to various types of families who still want a yard and a solidly built home without sacrificing convenience for time spent traveling in the car.

The RTD article is well worth the read, but if you would like additional information about this area or have questions about Real Estate, please contacts us. We will be happy to assist you!

John VanderSyde is a Licensed Real Estate Broker and a Licensed Architect. He has been in construction, development and building since 1986, and a licensed Realtor since 2002. He and his wife Ann are team partners at Virginia Properties, a Long & Foster Company in Richmond, VA.