Woolen Mills Neighborhood

by Clark New

Residents of the Woolen Mills community are proud of living in one of the

city's oldest neighborhoods. East Market Street, formerly Woolen Mills Road

runs through the middle of this neighborhood and is the route Thomas

Jefferson is said to have taken regularly from Monticello Mountain to the

University of Virginia. The woolen mill, which operated almost continuously

for 132 years, gives the community its name, a history of tightly-knit

working families, the quaint Woolen Mills Chapel. Today many of the older

homes have been restored and boast the porches and porch swings that still

invite residents to look out and say "hello" to their neighbors.

The mill itself produced Confederate Army uniforms, was burned by Union

forces, and finally went bankrupt in 1964. After the closing, some families

opted to stay and buy their homes, but many left in search of other

employment. Today, Woolen Mills is in the midst of a robust revitalization.

Young and old alike are moving in and renovating homes, or just enjoying

those already improved. Daniel McCrystal, president of the Woolen Mills

Neighborhood Association, enjoys the mixture of people which includes

everyone from "families who have been here since the mill opened to a few

UVa students from out of town."

The majority of the neighborhood is composed of single-family homes,

although East Market Street is dotted with a few businesses and apartment

units. Homes are available in a range of prices and include three-bedroom

townhomes in the new Rivershores development and larger renovated older

homes. The mill's old office building has been renovated into stylish

condominiums overlooking the remnants of the old dam, a favorite local

fishing spot. The renovators allowed greenstone rocks into which the

building was built to angle directly into the common entrance, merging wood,

rock, and plants to create an unusual natural ambiance.

The Rivanna Greenbelt begins at Riverview Park, accessed by the

neighborhood's Chesapeake Street. The Greenbelt is a one-and-a-quarter-mile

relaxing nature walk along the winding flood plain of the Rivanna River.

Stations marked on numbered posts point out duck houses, large Sycamore

trees, rock bluffs, and signs of beavers. Happy panting canines can be found

exploring &endash;p; with their owners in tow. In the winter, animal tracks are

easy to spot in a light dusting of snow or in frost.

Although only a five-mile drive from the Downtown Mall, the area is still

somewhat off the beaten track and maintains an historic character attractive

to those looking for a less obvious location and reasonable prices.