I recently received an e-mail from Retro Richmond reader Toby asking about mid-century communities in the area. Here’s what he had to say:

My wife and I are real big fans of Retro Richmond.

I’m interviewing for a job up there — in Raleigh now — and I’ve got a question for ya.

Are there any mid-century neighborhoods in town (or the outlying towns) that would be a good place to start looking? Nothing too fancy and nothing bombed out — just a cool old neighborhood with REAL people living in it?

A time capsule would be great, but I’m not gonna get my hopes up.

Thanks for your time — and for a great web site.

Toby

I’ve suggested Highland Hills, Chamberlayne Hills, Monument Avenue (a shot in the dark, I know) and the area near Bellevue off Brook. There are a few in there. But where else?

I’m turning to my Richmond readers once again! Let’s help Toby find a cool mid-century home! If you know of some happening mid-century neighborhoods in and around town, please post a comment and let everyone know.

It will also give me an idea of places to take photos!

Retro Richmond reader Barry has been busy digging up all sorts of cool goodies lately! He’s definitely earning a gold star this month!

If you recall, last week — through the help of Barry and fellow Retro Richmond reader David — the mystery of the Barrel-roofed structure located on West 20th Street was solved.

Though it lived out its final days as a Community Pride store, this curvaceous storefront had its humble beginnings as Siegel’s SuperMarket.

During a trip to The Valentine Richmond History Center, Barry scored some shots of Siegel’s SuperMarket from 1959 (the year it opened). They are such a sight to behold that I had to share them!

Courtesy of The Valentine Richmond History Center

It looks like at some point and time they added more window panes to the front. Did something happen to the front of the store? Does anyone know?

The view inside:

Courtesy of The Valentine Richmond History Center

Isn’t she beautiful?! What I wouldn’t give to see this placed restored. How amazing would that be? Ah well, a retro gal can dream!

Special thanks to Barry for going the extra mile and sharing these wonderful photos with me!

Retro Richmond reader and archivist Ray sent me this great old post card of the former Nick’s House of Steaks located at 1808 Staples Mill Road.

Nick’s opened its doors in the 1950s and, aside from a few blue awnings and a new door, looks relatively unchanged on the outside.

These days the former steakhouse operates as El Toro Loco, a Mexican Cantina.

While I can do without the awnings, it’s great to see another beautifully designed mid-century masterpiece survive the test of time relatively unscathed. Hat’s off to the owners of El Toro Loco and to those who owned this building prior for recognizing and preserving such great architecture!

Special thanks to Ray for sending this image my way! For those Richmond history buffs, check out Ray’s blog dedicated to the history of The Devil’s Triangle.

David from Old Richmond Grocery Stores has shone some more light on some of my previously unidentified buildings. Here’s what he had to say:

The address is shown in the telephone book as 3501 Jeff Davis. That address isn’t listed in the 1951 City Directory but is in the 1963 directory as “Burger King”. Whether it was part of the well-known chain I don’t know at this point.

EDIT: David just posted a photo of an old Burger King building that I simply had to share. I can see the similarities.

He also found some more info on JJ’s!

The 1951 City Directory lists this address as the Southland Restaurant.

And he’s also sold me on the Marina-Barrel roof debate!

The reason it’s not a Marina is simple. The building predates the first Safeway Marina, and I don’t think anyone’s ready to start calling them “Safeway Hulls”. Plus, the arches on a Marina don’t go all the way to the ground.

David, you have earned the Retro Richmond gold star of the day! Thank you for all your insight! I do hope you attend the MCMeetup because I would love to pick your brain some more!

The Marina mystery has been solved! Thanks to a tip from Retro Richmond reader Barry and a little help from David, author of Old Richmond Grocery Stores, the history of this wonderful structure has been uncovered!

Here’s what David had to say:

The 20th Street store was built as a Siegel’s. It first appeared in the city directory in 1959. It remained a Siegel’s until 1989 when Siegel’s was acquired by Farm Fresh. Farm Fresh operated it for one year as a Nick’s Market and then sold it to Community Pride.

From what I’ve gathered, Charlie Siegel got into the grocery business in the 1940’s. There was a Siegel’s at 419 N. 6th in the 1941 directory and one at 426 N. 6th from 1950 to 1968. Siegel also operated at 1911 W. Main (last time I looked, it was a brewpub) from 1968 to 1986.

All of my dates are from the city directory and are approximate. Charlie Siegel’s brother “Hip” Siegel was the “S” in S&K Famous Brands.

Everyone wants to make the 20th & Hull store into a Safeway or something else, but it was Siegel’s from the beginning. The barrel roof style was popular for supermarket construction in it’s day, though not as much in Richmond as in other places. One thing it’s not, is a Marina. The best surviving example of a Marina Safeway still in Richmond is the Big Apple Market at Jeff Davis and Terminal.

So there you have it. The building formerly known as Community Pride had its humble beginnings as a Siegel’s SuperMarket in 1959.

The added bonus to this story: the roof style is NOT a Marina, but a Barrel roof (which I’m not 100 percent sold on since I think of Barrel roofs as more rounded, but David is probably correct. To me, it looks like a Barrel-Marina hybrid.)

Thanks to Barry for the Siegel’s tip and to David for the additional info! Now we just need to get this building a historic landmark designation so it can remain standing for all to see.

Last month, I posted photos of this cool Marina-roofed building on West 20th Street and asked if anyone knew any additional information about it.

This week, i received a new clue in my Marina mystery from Robb over at Nashville Modern. (Check out the photos of his ultra-hip modern ranch. It is fabulous!)

Here’s what Robb had to say:

To me, it looks a lot like the King Cole Market, Whittier CA, architect A. Quincy Jones, 1951. Although it appears slightly different in your photos, that may be due to alterations done to it over time.

Robb was kind enough to scan some photos from Cory Buckner’s book about the architect titled, “A. Quincy Jones.” What does everyone think? I see a lot of similarities.

View a larger version of it here.

View a larger version of it here.

That’s some good sleuthing, Robb! If it’s not a Jones original, it’s definitely Jones-inspired. The original King Cole market in Whittier, CA (pictured above) was featured in the 1967 movie “Divorce American Style” with Dick Van Dyke but has since been demolished.

Though Jones’ did most of his work in California, his architectural firm did design the Pabco Linoleum Plant in New Jersey. However, that’s the only East Coast reference I can find for this famed modernist architect. I’m turning to my Richmond natives once again, does anyone remember a King Cole market in the area?

The mystery continues!

The summer 2008 edition of Atomic Ranch magazine is out! It’s choc full of mid-century goodies including a feature on an Eichler renovation!

For those new to Atomic Ranch, it is a quarterly magazine that celebrates the marvels of mid-century homes, the designers who created them, and the folks who renovated them to make them what they are today. It’s also a great resource for anyone interested in adding some mid-century flair to their humble abode.

Don’t scour the shelves of Barnes and Noble for this magazine. It’s only available at Mongrel in Carytown. Grab a copy today and let me know what you think!

People often frequent diners while on road trips, but this diner has been on quite a few road trips itself! Purchased in Newport News in the late 1940s, this prefabricated restaurant made its way to Richmond where it became known as Sam’s Diner.

The diner’s first home was on West Broad Street across from the former Division of Motor Vehicles. A few years later, owner Sam Shahda decided to move his 45-foot-long diner across the street from the Defense General Supply Center on Jefferson Davis Highway.

Sam’s eventually closed its doors and the diner had a brief stint as a Tex-Mex restaurant before it was left abandoned and rundown. It wasn’t until 1996 when the diner formerly known as Sam’s was purchased by Richmond restaurateurs Paul and Lisa Keevil. The Keevil’s also own Millie’s, another well-known Richmond diner located at 2603 E. Main St.

The couple renovated the chrome-plated restaurant and shipped it off to Nags Head and the rest is history, or so Richmond thought.

Millie’s Diner - Nags Head, NC

I recently received an e-mail from Bill of Richmond’s own rockin’ rockabilly band Hamburger James letting me know that Sam’s has changed hands once more. Here’s what he had to say:

About 10 years ago, Millie’s Restaurant bought the old Sam’s Diner and moved it down to Nag’s Head. They sold it and it sat vacant for several years. I stopped by last summer and found it open under new management.

Located at 2008 S. Virginia Dare Trail in Kill Devil Hills, NC, the former Richmond diner is now known as the Kill Devil Grill.

Kill Devil Grill - Kill Devil Hills, NC

With a fresh coat of blue paint, the Kill Devil Grill is inviting and cheerful, but a far cry from the Sam’s of Richmond’s past. Still, it’s great to see new life in this former River City resident. Next time you’re at the beach, stop by the Kill Devil Grill and grab a bite to eat and take in the sights of one of Richmond’s most-cherished diners.

Special thanks to Bill for the photos and the suggestion!

If you have a building you’d like to see featured on the site, send it to me at olivia@retrorichmond.com. I’m also looking for guest writers to share their stories and memories about Richmond’s past.

I recently stumbled across this unique specimen of mid-century architecture on Jefferson Davis Highway. This beautiful shed-roofed structure is home to Hannah’s Hope and Glory Glamour Salon. The part I find most intriguing is the brick chimneylike structure on the roof.

I imagine at one time this is where the original business displayed its sign. Unfortunately today there’s nary a trace left under the whitewash.

There’s a plethora of great mid-century architecture along the Jeff-Davis corridor. However, there’s little to no information available (at least that I can find) about the area during its glory days in the 1950s. So needless to say, I don’t know what this building was originally used for. My co-workers have been throwing their two cents in and so far we have an auto garage and a take-out restaurant. If anyone else has a guess, throw it out there. I’d love to hear it.

My favorite part of this building is its capstone — a small two story birdhouse perched high above the rooftop structure. Even birds need to live in style!

I haven’t been able to find out much about this rounded-corner restaurant located at 3316 Jeff Davis Highway, but it’s still worth sharing!

Though the color combination is questionable, I love the sleek curves of this building and its use of block glass windows, which were in vogue in the 1950s and 1960s. It looks like this building could have been a diner or maybe a car dealership.

You can see where a couple of windows have been boarded up/sealed over. I wonder if there is more of that beautiful block glass under there?

If anyone knows the original use of this fabulous building, please let me know!