Flood of '72

The Rivanna River flows through Charlottesville, seen in the above current day aerial photo at Free Bridge.  In the summer of 1972 the Rivanna overflowed its banks near Free Bridge and flooded into High Street and the Cosner Brothers Auto Body Shop.

The shop, shown here from the same angle, 40 years later:

This next image appears to show the same flood waters receding, but on closer inspection we see that the billboard just beyond the shop is different than what we see in the first image, suggesting a different time altogether.  According to Grant Cosner, who still runs the shop, there was indeed a second flood that summer making for two "hundred-year" floods in one season.

Here are more photos from the two floods of 1972 paired with views from the same angle today:

1972 images courtesy Neighborhood Development Services.

Installation of The Medallion at First & Main

On April 25, 2012 the Medallion was installed at First & Main.  The Charlottesville graphic design firm Gropen, which specializes in architectural signage, was hired for the project.  For some background on this project go here and here.

The first step of the installation process was to remove four existing pavers in the pedestrian mall to make room for the Medallion. The first stone is the hardest to remove. 

The remaining pavers were carefully removed and returned to the city parks department for future use.

Next the Gropen team prepares the site.

 Tim Reynolds and Doug Gibson prepare a new base for the stone.

The 500 lb. Medallion is lowered into place using thin straps that are easily removed.

Finally, the craftsmen add the finishing touches.

King Arthur Scott, who did the engraving back at the shop, examines the Medallion in place.

Project foreman, Tim Reynolds, talks with passers-by about the newly-installed stone.

City Manager Maurice Jones stops by to check out the new Medallion.

Meredith Mercer, an early supporter and contributor to the project, stops by to examine the finished work.

Karyn Trumbull of The Trumbull Group, sends word to the rest of the world via twitter that the project is finished. 

For more about this project and this significant location in Charlottesville see the previous posts on First and Main on this website.  

You will  find a list of contributors who worked on and funded this project here.  Thanks also to Mary Joy Scala, Jim Tolbert, Preston Coiner, and Vice Mayor Kristin Szakos who all gave early and vocal support for this project and without whom this Medallion would not have been put in place.

Additional photos can also be seen on Trumbull Photography's Facebook page.

A podcast about the project, produced by Dan Gould, can be heard here.

First and Main, Then and Now

This photograph, taken by Ralph Holsinger, shows First and Main Streets in the late 1930s. The Charlottesville Municipal Band is seen here marching in a parade at a time when this section of Main Street was open to vehicular traffic and a frequent parade route. The Charlottesville Municipal Band was established in 1923 and has performed for Virginia governors, U.S. Presidents and even England's Queen Elizabeth. They also have performed free concerts for the public throughout their nearly 80 years. The band is one of the oldest community bands in the country.

Many of the buildings along Main Street seen in the Holsinger image still remain today.  This image, taken April 25, 2012, shows the same location as above. Here we see the team from Gropen installing the Medallion at First and Main.

For more about the Charlottesville Municipal Band visit the band's website.

For more about Gropen go here.

Holsinger image courtesy Special Collection, UVA Library.  

              Thanks to Jamie Sacco of Snooky's Pawn for providing me with the vantage point for the current photograph.

Medallion Project Update: Shop Work

The granite stone arrives from Mt. Airy, NC at Gropen Design on East Market Street in Charlottesville. 

The large slab is unload with a fork lift.

Gropen Design craftsman Darryl Muller carefully measures and marks the stone before making the final cuts. 

Dan Gould of the Charlottesville Podcasting Network interviews Darryl about the process and equipment.

The table saw makes a clean cut. Water keeps the blade and granite from getting over heated.

Darryl and project manager Tim Reynolds display the rubber mask bearing the design that will be affixed to the stone.

The rubber mask exposes only the portions of the stone to be engraved (lettering, lines, and symbols).

The stone is loaded into a chamber where it can be engraved with a high-pressure blasting of silicon carbide.

The fine grit bounces off the rubber mask but slowly wears away at the hard stone.

After the blasting, the engraved design is spray-painted with the mask still in place.

Tim then works carefully to remove the rubber mask.

The engraved and painted design is slowly revealed.

The black lettering provides a high contrast to the light Mt. Airy granite.

The clean stone is ready to be installed.

The Medallion is a gift to the City of Charlottesville and will be installed in the existing ornamental paver work on the pedestrian mall at the intersection of First and Main, the point where the downtown area is divided into its four quadrants.

Concept and Medallion Design:

Steve Trumbull

Computer graphics and consulting:

Rick Bickhart

Lauren Noe

Preparation of Medallion:

Staff of Gropen Design

Financial Support:

Meredith Mercer

Ian Miller

The Trumbull Group

Jon and Stephanie Howard

Charlottesville Historical Image Library

Dan and Beth Gould

Doug and Linda Good

Woolen Mills Self Storage, LLC

Ruth Kastenmayer

Edwina St. Rose

&

Trumbull Photography