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Ghent (Norfolk)
Encyclopedia
The Ghent District includes the various Ghent neighborhoods (Ghent, West Ghent, East Ghent, Ghent Square) in Norfolk, Virginia
. Its boundaries are roughly Brambleton Avenue/The Hague on the south, the Elizabeth River
on west, Monticello Avenue on the east and the railroad crossing immediately north of 22nd Street. The area continues to spread eastward with newer developments (The Alexander at Ghent http://www.thebristolatghent.com/ and The Row at Ghent http://www.therowatghent.com/). The main north/south thoroughfares are Hampton Blvd, Colley Avenue, Colonial Avenue, Llewellyn Avenue, Granby Street, and Monticello Avenue. The main east/west thoroughfares are Princess Anne Road, 20th Street and 21st Street. Brambleton Avenue acts as a connector from Ghent to Downtown and crosses the southern tip of Ghent briefly.
, the siting of the south section of the suburb by Smith Creek, and a “Y”-shaped inlet off the Elizabeth River
, suggested a different planning approach. Marshlands at this area were filled and the shoreline given a semicircular shape. The resulting street, Mowbray Arch, soon became the favored location for the stately houses of Norfolk’s middle and upper-middle class
residents. Ghent’s plan was not particularly innovative, but it successfully exploited the area’s strategic waterfront location, providing views over the creek to the grass banks on the opposite shore. While Ghent originally covered more than thirty blocks in area, the Mowbray Arch section displays the highest concentration of houses built during the late 19th century. This area is contained by Smith’s Creek and Olney Road, a four-lane traffic artery connecting the two arms of the creek and providing east-west access to downtown Norfolk.
The area went into steep decline in the years following WW II (especially East Ghent) and was the focus of a very concentrated and successful gentrification
effort that continues to this day. As a result, the area is one of the most economically diverse in Norfolk with large turn-of-the century apartment
buildings, next to rows of cozy bungalow
s, side by side with newly developed condominium
s. During the first few years of the 21st Century, many former apartment buildings were redeveloped into condominium units at a rapid pace. Much of what was East Ghent (which was predominantly an Black
area) was torn down and rebuilt (including roads) so that little of the original buildings remain. The main exceptions are Maury High School and the Van Wyck branch of the Norfolk Public Library.
s, the Naro Cinema (which screens foreign and independent films), and Doumar's Cones and BBQ
(known for having the world's first ice cream cone
machine). The businesses within Ghent are predominantly located on Colley Avenue, Monticello Avenue (which includes many fast-food establishments as it is the transition area between Ghent and an industrial area to the east), and along 20th, 21st and 22nd Streets. There are many other businesses tucked into side streets leading from the main streets in Ghent as well.
and the Virginia Opera
's home stage, the Harrison Opera House
. Also located in the Ghent district of Norfolk is the historic Naro Theatre
The neighborhood is also home to Norfolk's largest medical complex containing Sentara Norfolk General Hospital
, Sentara Heart Hospital, Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters
, and Eastern Virginia Medical School
.
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
. Its boundaries are roughly Brambleton Avenue/The Hague on the south, the Elizabeth River
Elizabeth River (Virginia)
The Elizabeth River is a tidal estuary forming an arm of Hampton Roads harbor at the southern end of Chesapeake Bay in southeast Virginia in the United States. It is located along the southern side of the mouth of the James River, between the cities of Portsmouth and Norfolk...
on west, Monticello Avenue on the east and the railroad crossing immediately north of 22nd Street. The area continues to spread eastward with newer developments (The Alexander at Ghent http://www.thebristolatghent.com/ and The Row at Ghent http://www.therowatghent.com/). The main north/south thoroughfares are Hampton Blvd, Colley Avenue, Colonial Avenue, Llewellyn Avenue, Granby Street, and Monticello Avenue. The main east/west thoroughfares are Princess Anne Road, 20th Street and 21st Street. Brambleton Avenue acts as a connector from Ghent to Downtown and crosses the southern tip of Ghent briefly.
History
The Ghent suburb of Norfolk, Virginia, began its development in 1890 with most construction occurring between 1892 and 1907. Located blocks west of Norfolk's present commercial core, Ghent originally covered approximately 220 acre (0.8903092 km²). Although most of Ghent was laid along a standard grid planGrid plan
The grid plan, grid street plan or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid...
, the siting of the south section of the suburb by Smith Creek, and a “Y”-shaped inlet off the Elizabeth River
Elizabeth River (Virginia)
The Elizabeth River is a tidal estuary forming an arm of Hampton Roads harbor at the southern end of Chesapeake Bay in southeast Virginia in the United States. It is located along the southern side of the mouth of the James River, between the cities of Portsmouth and Norfolk...
, suggested a different planning approach. Marshlands at this area were filled and the shoreline given a semicircular shape. The resulting street, Mowbray Arch, soon became the favored location for the stately houses of Norfolk’s middle and upper-middle class
Social class
Social classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
residents. Ghent’s plan was not particularly innovative, but it successfully exploited the area’s strategic waterfront location, providing views over the creek to the grass banks on the opposite shore. While Ghent originally covered more than thirty blocks in area, the Mowbray Arch section displays the highest concentration of houses built during the late 19th century. This area is contained by Smith’s Creek and Olney Road, a four-lane traffic artery connecting the two arms of the creek and providing east-west access to downtown Norfolk.
The area went into steep decline in the years following WW II (especially East Ghent) and was the focus of a very concentrated and successful gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
effort that continues to this day. As a result, the area is one of the most economically diverse in Norfolk with large turn-of-the century apartment
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
buildings, next to rows of cozy bungalow
Bungalow
A bungalow is a type of house, with varying meanings across the world. Common features to many of these definitions include being detached, low-rise , and the use of verandahs...
s, side by side with newly developed condominium
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
s. During the first few years of the 21st Century, many former apartment buildings were redeveloped into condominium units at a rapid pace. Much of what was East Ghent (which was predominantly an Black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
area) was torn down and rebuilt (including roads) so that little of the original buildings remain. The main exceptions are Maury High School and the Van Wyck branch of the Norfolk Public Library.
Commerce
Ghent's commercial district is known for unique shops, restaurantRestaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s, the Naro Cinema (which screens foreign and independent films), and Doumar's Cones and BBQ
Doumar's Cones and BBQ
Doumar's Cones and BBQ is a restaurant located at 1919 Monticello Avenue in Norfolk, Virginia. Originally an ice cream business at the Ocean View Amusement Park, the creator, Abe Doumar, is regarded as having created the world's first ice cream cone....
(known for having the world's first ice cream cone
Ice cream cone
An ice cream cone, poke or cornet is a dry, cone-shaped pastry, usually made of a wafer similar in texture to a waffle, allowing ice cream to be eaten without a bowl or spoon...
machine). The businesses within Ghent are predominantly located on Colley Avenue, Monticello Avenue (which includes many fast-food establishments as it is the transition area between Ghent and an industrial area to the east), and along 20th, 21st and 22nd Streets. There are many other businesses tucked into side streets leading from the main streets in Ghent as well.
Attractions/Facilities
Cultural attractions include Norfolk's major art museum, the Chrysler Museum of ArtChrysler Museum of Art
The Chrysler Museum of Art is an art museum in the Ghent district of Norfolk, Virginia. The museum was originally founded in 1933 as the Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences. In 1971, automotive heir, Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. , donated most of his extensive collection to the museum...
and the Virginia Opera
Virginia Opera
Virginia Opera is an opera company based in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Organized in 1974 by a group of Norfolk, Virginia community volunteers, Virginia Opera presented its first productions in 1975 and in the intervening four decades has become known and respected nationwide for the...
's home stage, the Harrison Opera House
Harrison Opera House
The Edythe C. and Stanley L. Harrison Opera House, also known as the Harrison Opera House, is the official home of the Virginia Opera in the Ghent district of Norfolk, Virginia. Once a World War II USO theater, this historic venue was renovated in 1993. With 1,632 seats, the renovated Harrison...
. Also located in the Ghent district of Norfolk is the historic Naro Theatre
The neighborhood is also home to Norfolk's largest medical complex containing Sentara Norfolk General Hospital
Sentara Norfolk General Hospital
Sentara Norfolk General Hospital is a hospital in the Ghent neighborhood of Norfolk, Virginia. It is located adjacent to Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters, Sentara Heart Hospital and Eastern Virginia Medical School for which it serves as the teaching hospital. Norfolk General is home to...
, Sentara Heart Hospital, Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters
Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters
Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters , located in Norfolk, Virginia, is the only freestanding children's hospital in Virginia and the home to one of the nation's top pediatric residency programs....
, and Eastern Virginia Medical School
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Eastern Virginia Medical School commonly referred to as EVMS, in Norfolk, Virginia is a public-private medical school founded by the citizens of Hampton Roads, Virginia...
.