Virginia BioTechnology Research Park

Historic Jackson Ward

Jackson Ward is one of Richmond’s most valuable and significant neighborhoods. It was here that Bill “Bojangles” Robinson danced, Duke Ellington played, and generations of African-Americans worked in what was once called “The Wall Street of Black America” because of its many banks. They included St. Luke’s Penny Savings Bank, where Maggie Walker served as the nation’s first woman bank president. The bank still operates today, and the Maggie Walker House is a national landmark. The area was a center for Black enterprise and entertainment from the early 1920s to the late 1940s. Each year, the neighborhood hosts the Second Street Festival to celebrate the history and vitality of that time. A majority of the city’s cast-iron porches are found in this neighborhood and reflect the influence of the European craftspeople that once lived here. The neighborhood is filled with Greek and Georgian Revival, Queen Anne and Italianate houses, many adorned with elaborate ironwork.

Jackson Ward is adjacent to the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park, and many of the restaurants, art galleries, coffee shops, museums and business services are within walking distance. The BioTech Park is proud to be a supporter and a partner of the Historic Jackson Ward Association and the Jackson Ward Business Association. The location and more information about each of these businesses and attractions in Jackson Ward can be found on the Park’s website in the electronic map section, powered by CapitalOne.