A seedy neighborhood transformed into an economic corridor - Reporting by Alix Bryan, April 2010

Caliente's - Park and N. Sheppard St.

VCU journalism student Alix Bryan has done some fine reporting about
the Devil's Triangle - visit this site for her interviews of local residents and her take
on this neighborhood.

Sheppard Street - What's the Origin of the Name?

I came across this article by Mary Riley in the Richmond Quarterly, Vol. 6, #2, Fall 1983. The Richmond Quarterly was edited by William Simpson, a long time librarian at the Richmond Public Library. The original title was the Richmond Literature and History Quarterly. The journal ran from 1978 through 1991. Half of each issue had poetry and short stories and the other half had short vignettes on various aspects of Richmond history, including articles on the origins of the names of Richmond streets. VCU Libraries' Special Collections and Archives has an almost complete run of the journal.

The street is named for the Sheppard family which lived in this area in the late 19th and early 20th century. They owned a large tract of land that was originally purchased by Dr. Nicholas C. Sheppard (1831-1908). He died September 3, 1908 and is buried in Baltimore. During the war he served in Wood's Brigade in Stuart's Division.

Click on each image for a larger view.

Devil's Triangle Image from Boulevarizen web site.

A great image of the Devil's Triangle - found on the Boulevardizen site. It extends the Triangle a little further than I think the neighborhood's boundaries are but it makes for a good triangle.

wikimapia of the Devil's Triangle

Check out this interactive map of the Devil's Triangle

Insight into The Devil’s Triangle

Insight into The Devil’s Triangle - was posted on the RVA Business Site - check it out. It includes two videos made by Alix Bryan:

The Devil Doesn't Live Here Anymore from Alix Bryan on Vimeo.

The Devil's Triangle from Alix Bryan on Vimeo.

1889 view of the Devil's Triangle - Sheppard's Addition.

(Click for much larger view)

Image of what became the Devil's Triangle neighborhood from 1889. At this time the area was referred to as "Sheppard's Addition." Only lots, no buildings yet. This image is from “Atlas of the City of Richmond, Virginia and Vicinity,” published in Philadelphia: by G. William Baist, 1889. Notice the Soldier's Home grounds on the left. Also, Leonard Street is now Patterson Ave. and the are of Franklin St. on this map is now Monument Ave.

Where is the name from?

Arianna's Grill at Park and N. Shepard (former site of the Ritz)
and a glimpse of Caliente's (former site of Felix's Restaurant).

Just for the record - the name of this neighborhood, the Devil's Triangle, comes from the reputation of the bars in the area that existed in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Two in particular were notorious for their rowdy clientele, The Ritz, 700 N. Shepard Ave., corner of Park and N. Shepard, and on the opposite corner, Felix's Restaurant, 2922 Park Ave. These two establishments and the ever changing bar and restaurants at 600 N. Sheppard (where Cafe Diem is now) made up a small geographical triangle that gave the neighborhood its name and reputation. The building that housed The Ritz, vacant for a decade, finally reopened as Arianna's Italian Grill and Pizzeria in 2008. Felix's Restaurant is now Caliente. More on all of these establishments in future posts.

Visit:

Arianna's Italian Grill and Pizzeria

Caliente

Cafe Diem