Billups Funeral Home

Billups Funeral Home

 

 

(Billups Funeral Home c. 1926)

 

 

 

 

 

(Billups Funeral Home 2017)

 

 

 

 Site Name - Billups Funeral Home

Date of Construction - Built 1850 on Broad St. moved location to Church Hill 1925

Reason for Construction - Preparing the body and burying one is seen as a macabre process and is often difficult to do with no knowledge and to do so for the body of a loved one is often seen as unbearable for a relative or a friend to do. This brought up the need for others to do this service of preparation and burial for the general public and Lafayette Washington Billups was one of these people.

Site History - The Oldest funeral home in Richmond, Billups Funeral Home was built on Broad Street in 1850 by Lafayette Washington Billups and later moved to Church Hill in 1925 by John Billups, son of Lafayette Billups, due to an increase in business. At first workers at the funeral home would travel to a residence and retrieve the body, embalm and prepare it, and then return the body to the home so it could be shown for a wake, but in 1928 John Billups contracted Marcellus Wright to expand the building to be almost twice its size and to add a chapel for clients to host wakes and gatherings. This chapel to host bodies was a radical practice for the time and was later seen as groundbreaking as it is a common practice for funeral homes to have these additions now. Billups was also the first funeral home to have installed air conditioning throughout its building which allowed for bodies to be kept at a steady temperature during wakes and services. The business has been passed through the family since its creation and continues to be run by descendants of Lafayette Washington Billups.

Area History - Church Hill was the first of Richmond’s neighborhoods and during the 18th century revolutionaries found their roots in the district, Patrick Henry spoke at the St. John’s Church, one of the many Churches that gave Church Hill its name. A rail road tunnel for an old Chesapeake and Ohio railway, was built during the reconstruction period collapsed in 1925 causing the destruction of a train and many houses in the surrounding area. In the 1950’s Church Hill had a demographic shift as more people entered the neighborhood as well as a racial shift as it grew in its African American population. In 1957 Church Hill was declared a historic district and has since then been meticulously preserved.

What about the site has changed? - Billups was moved from Broad Street to Church Hill in 1925 due to a rapid increase in business and lack of space. Expansion of the building and a chapel were also added in 1928 along with air conditioning of the whole building.

What about the surrounding area has changed? - Church Hill is now one of the few well preserved and historical areas of Richmond. St. John’s Church is one of the few Colonial structures left in Richmond and the only Colonial structure in the area that remains intact. The neighborhood is growing to be one of the most alluring areas especially as many houses are undergoing renovation and many small local business have found their footing in the neighborhood.

Reflection - Who knew that such common practices in funeral homes today were so radical and strange back in the 1920s and a little after? Learning about this site has allowed me to get a grasp on some of the things that were seen as abnormal in early time periods and how practices grow in popularity and soon become normal. The fact that this was all learned from studying a funeral home makes it all the more interesting in discovering these aspects of earlier social expressions of society.

Sources -

M, John. “The Oldest Funeral Home in Richmond.” Accessed March 16, 2017. https://chpn.net/2013/10/28/the-oldest-funeral-home-in-richmond/

Architecture Richmond. “Billup’s Funeral Home.” Accessed March 16, 2017. http://architecturerichmond.com/inventory/billups-funeral-home-richmond/ 

Cushing, Nathan. “The business of death: Inside RVA’s oldest funeral home.” Accessed March 17, 2017. https://rvanews.com/news/billups-funeral-home/104446 

Shiflett, Amber. “The Seven Hills of Richmond – Church Hill.” Accessed March 18, 2017. http://www.rvabusiness.com/2012/07/19/the-seven-hills-of-richmond-church-hill/ 

Evans, Jessica. “What is Church Hill, and how was it changed over time?” Accessed March 18, 2017. http://arts.vcu.edu/madeinchurchhill/2015/01/09/what-is-church-hill-and-how-has-it-changed-over-time/

 

Author - Clara Studdard