Crews with heavy equipment have started demolishing the former George Mason Elementary School at 29th and O streets in Church Hill. The school building, which is 99-years-old, was replaced by Henry L. Marsh III Elementary School. Demolition was authorized in mid-2020 when City Council voted 6-3 to clear the old building and its two later additions. The new adjacent school, which formally was opened in September, is named for Mr. Marsh, 88, a retired civil rights lawyer who was Richmond’s first Black mayor and a former state senator. He attended George Mason Elementary School de- cades ago. Supporters of the demolition said removing the building that dates to 1922 would provide needed space for an expanded playground for Marsh Elemen- tary students. Foes of demolition saw the historic building as ripe for conversion to elderly housing that would have allowed young people at the school to interact with elders and create a stream of revenue for the public school system.
