March 25, 2008
Thanks to efforts by Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder, the Library of Virginia has been removed from the annual ranking of the nation’s nicest bus stops, a municipal transportation magazine said yesterday.
Located at the corner of Eighth and Broad streets, the grand Library of Virginia holds and manages the commonwealth’s always-growing collection of official records and once served as a state-of-the-art waiting place for thousands of low-income Richmond residents waiting for the Numbers 7, 18 and 52 buses home.
Incorporating urban design and exquisite architecture, the building of wood, metal, glass and outdoor stone steps perfect for loitering opened to the public in 1997.
For a decade, the library served as an ultramodern catalog of Virginia’s priceless documents, its contemporary design ranking the building No. 1 in City Transport Magazine’s most lavish U.S. pickup spots for public transportation vehicles and as having the No. 4 nicest wall for public urination. Since Wilder rerouted buses off portions of Broad Street in 2006, the half library, half multi-million dollar catnap location dropped from both lists completely last year, the publication said.
“The Library of Virginia was once a place where the general public could come to view the state’s records, public documents and microfilms only after stepping over some homeless guy sleeping on the building’s steps,” said Becky Allmond, the magazine’s editor. “Fortunately now, the building can get back to doing what it does best: looking beautiful on Broad without anyone having the foggiest idea of what really goes on in there.”
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Long have I gazed upon its imposing edifice and wondered, “What the hell is in there?” I had always assumed that it contained the meeting place for a cabal of mages keeping the city government afloat. Little else can explain the continued function of our city under the administrative auspices of City Council. Thank you for revealing its secret function as more than just a fancy place to sleep waiting for the number 6 but the knowledge that it is not the headquarters of the Dark Brotherhood is somewhat disturbing. I must continue my search, perhaps the Times Dispatch building has succumbed to their fell influence.
8th and Broad was overrated.
Besides, the 9th and Broad bus stop is where all the cool people hang out.
West Enders, North Siders, and the Fredericksburg commuters mingle together at the end of the day at this humble stop, representing a new Richmond – a new America.
[...] Ha! As Ross says, “GRTC stands for Ghetto Rides To Court.” [...]