ACCESSIBILITY - A Shareholder Proposal (Excerpt)

Project Abstract

The Woman’s Club of Richmond, est. 1894, is a landmark institution in historical Richmond, VA. The Club has been at the center of numerous art movements, social transformations and, most notably, the push for women’s suffrage. It has played an essential role in the lives of women for generations—a role that is growing ever more important as spaces for community socialization dry up, especially for age demographics spanning from age 5

0 to 90.

There is a going concern over the difficulty of accessing the building. The Bolling

Haxall House which the Club inhabits is a historic home predating the Capitol burnings

of 1865, and as such, its first floor sits above the modern street level. Though a renovation in 1973 added a street level entry point with a ramp and elevator, rating it ADA compliance upon the instatement of the ADA in 1990, that access mode has not been reassessed since the acquisition of the parking lot on the corner of W. Franklin St. and 3rd St. and the addition of the building ingress point from said parking lot. There is a need to reevaluate the quality of BHH accessibility, which is corroborated by the attached Membership Census from the 2023-2024 Program season.

The key source of difficulty identified by Members and rental groups is the requirement for wheelchair-bound guests and those who struggle with stairs to travel from the 3rd St. parking lot to the far side of the building via the sidewalk. This path requires the traversal of over half a city block, and because of the gated nature of the parking lot, guests are forced to travel through the blind entrance drive of the parking lot to reach the sidewalk. The sidewalk itself is brick-paved and is increasingly buckled and uneven along the front of the House. Furthermore, unless the Club’s front desk has been notified in advance of the guest’s arrival, guests must then wait for a staff member to respond to the doorbell and come unlock the elevator door through a convoluted process for them to enter the building. Further concerns include: being forced to wait in overbearing heat, the uneven and in places pitted quality of the sidewalk, lack of handrails, the width of the door to the elevator vestibule, and a malfunctioning sensor within the elevator that sometimes causes it to take guests to the wrong floor.

Statement of Need

This proposal is being put forward to open shareholder discussions on the installation of ADA compliant ramps into the fleet foyer of the Bolling Haxall House from the 3rd St. parking lot, as well as two new handicapped accessible parking spots and a restriping of those already in existence. We feel this project to be a necessary step in strengthening the Membership’s trust in The Woman’s Club and the financial prospects received through rentals of our auditorium space. We propose an installation timeframe of May 2026, taking advantage of the end of the program year and the rentals pause already in effect at that time as a result of the planned renovation of the auditorium.

Project Description

The project entails the construction of three ramps, two of poured reinforced concrete and one constructed in line with the pine flooring of the foyer. The installation timeline spans three weeks, factoring in the demolishing of the current staircases, the laying of reinforcements, pouring of concrete (in the case of the two outer ramps), and the construction of the foyer’s interior ramp to adhere to the foyer’s design (see sourced example materials).

Factoring in the proposed timing, the entrance closures for these installations will have little impact on revenue, as the entrance in question is mainly used as the point of ingress for the auditorium. A concern has been raised regarding compliance with the historical facades of the Bolling Haxall House and the safe removal and reinstallation of the wrought-iron fencing along the walkway walls. In answer, we have drafted a query letter for Ed Pillsbury at 3North, which we are prepared to forward if the project is taken into consideration.

Based on data collected from the census, we anticipate this project would result in at least a 22% increase in Membership attendance to Monday Speaker Programs, and a 15% increase in ticket revenues for Special Membership Events hosted on the premises. Access to the building has hindered both of these areas for many years.