1200 Block East Cary Street
Because of Shockoe Slip’s convenience to both canal and rail transport, many different businesses contributed to its economic make-up. Some of the buildings in this block housed concerns that would be expected in the area, such as a cigar manufacturer and commission merchants. There were, however, others with more exotic specialties—a dealer in oils, a vinegar company, and a “fancy grocer and confectioner.” All moved in and out of these buildings during the last hundred and twenty years. Several feed and grain merchants, a large wholesale liquor supplier, and the first Richmond office of the National Biscuit Company also occupied these buildings. This mercantile evolution resulted in a neighborhood exhibiting the levels of history and visual complexity that made the revitalization by businesses and restaurants on this block successful.
Marker is on East Cary Street (Virginia Route 147) east of South 12th Street, on the left when traveling east.
Courtesy hmdb.org
