Ghent (Norfolk) facts for kids
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Ghent Historic District
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 Location in Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Location | Roughly bounded by Olney Rd., Virginia Beach Blvd., Smith's Creek, and Brambleton Ave., Norfolk, Virginia |
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| Area | 77 acres (31 ha) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, Queen Anne |
| NRHP reference No. | 80004455 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | July 4, 1980 |
The Ghent District is a historic neighborhood located in Norfolk, Virginia. It is made up of areas called Ghent, West Ghent, and Ghent Square. Some nearby areas are also often thought of as part of Ghent because of its shops and businesses. These include Chelsea and North Colley Avenue.
Ghent's borders are Mowbray Arch/Brambleton Avenue to the south, near The Hague and the Neon District. The Elizabeth River is to the west. Monticello Avenue is on the east. The railroad tracks at 22nd Street mark its northern edge.
Contents
History of Ghent
How Ghent Got Its Name
There are a couple of stories about how Ghent got its name. One story says that around 1810, a man named J. Moran owned land along the Elizabeth River. He was inspired by the end of the War of 1812. This war ended with the Treaty of Ghent, which brought peace. Mr. Moran supposedly named his land "Ghent" to celebrate this peace treaty.
Another popular story says that in the 1830s, a Norfolk resident named Commodore Richard Drummond bought farmland from Mr. Moran. This land did not yet have a name. Commodore Drummond reportedly owned the ship that carried the Treaty of Ghent back to America. He was very proud of this. So, he built his new home on the land and named it "Ghent" to remember that special event. The first homes in the neighborhood were built along Smith's Creek, which is part of the river. A street in Ghent called "Drummond Place" is named after him.
Developing the Neighborhood
Two men from the Netherlands helped turn that farmland into the streets of Ghent we see today. J. P. Andre Mottu moved to America from the Netherlands in 1890. He worked for the Norfolk Company. This company was partly owned by Adolphe Boissevain. Boissevain was a smart investor in American railroads and real estate.
At that time, the land where Drummond built his home was only connected to Norfolk by a walking bridge. Mottu and Boissevain loved the waterfront area. They imagined the area looking like their home in the Netherlands. So, they renamed Smith's Creek after The Hague in the Netherlands. The name Ghent stayed for the neighborhood.
Marshy areas were filled in. The shoreline was shaped like a semicircle to look like the canals in their home country. Mottu and Boissevain's plan for Ghent used the area's great waterfront location. It offered views over the creek to the grassy banks. The street that resulted, Mowbray Arch, quickly became a popular place. Many large houses for Norfolk's middle and upper-middle-class families were built there. The area grew quickly over the next ten years. It spread to cover more than thirty blocks. This is most of what is now called Historic Ghent.
Ghent Historic District
The Ghent Historic District is a special area listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1980. This means it's important to American history. It includes 184 buildings and one site that help tell its story. Most of these are homes. Many houses in the area are great examples of different architectural styles. These include Queen Anne revival, Colonial Revival, and Tudor Revival style homes.
Some notable buildings include the Warren (around 1925) and the Holland (1904). Also, the Mowbray (around 1914) and Eastern Virginia Medical School. The Sarah Leigh Hospital (1902) is also important. Other famous homes include the Fergus Reid residence (1892) and the Frank S. Royster residence (around 1900-02). The William H. White residence (around 1892) and the Richard B. Tunstall residence (around 1892) are also listed. The Robert M. and Robert W. Hughes residence (around 1895-1900) and the William Tait residence (around 1895) are also part of the district.
Changes Over Time
After World War II, the neighborhood faced tough times. Many families moved from the city to the suburbs. This caused some parts of Ghent to fall into disrepair. The area needed a lot of fixing up. At one point, the mayor of Norfolk, Pretlow Darden, described parts of Ghent as needing major improvements.
Today, only a few of the original public buildings remain. Maury High School and the Van Wyck branch of the Norfolk Public Library are notable exceptions. This is because of big city improvement programs. These programs often involved tearing down old buildings and rebuilding new ones. This was part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's larger plan to help the country.
Norfolk received its first grant for city improvements in 1949. A lot of effort went into preserving the Ghent neighborhood. With these programs and new housing rules over twenty years, Ghent successfully improved. By the mid-1970s, it was a much better place to live. Improvements continue to spread from Ghent to other areas even today.
Facilities in Ghent
Parks and Recreation
- Portions of the Elizabeth River Trail run through the Ghent area. This is a great place for walking or biking.
- Ghent Dog Park is located in Stockley Gardens. It's a fun spot for dogs to play.
- Raleigh Avenue Playground offers a place for kids to play.
- Fergus Reid Tennis Park has courts for tennis lovers.
Arts and Culture
In Ghent's shopping area, you'll find the Naro Theater. It opened in 1936 as The Colley Theater. Today, it shows foreign and independent movies. The Naro Theater is also home to a long-running "shadow cast" for The Rocky Horror Picture Show. This group acts out the movie as it plays on screen. It has been performing for over 30 years!
Ghent's commercial district also has many art galleries. These galleries display and sell works by local artists.
Norfolk's main art museum, the Chrysler Museum of Art, is also in Ghent. The museum has over 50 galleries. It also has a restaurant and places for events.
Across from the Chrysler Museum is the Harrison Opera House. This is the home stage for the Virginia Opera.
Ghent hosts several fun cultural and art festivals. These include the Ghent Pride Festival each June. There's also an annual St. Patrick’s Day street festival. The Stockley Gardens Arts Festival happens twice a year, in the spring and fall.
Delicious Food
On Monticello Avenue, you'll find Doumar's Cones and BBQ. This famous spot created the ice cream cone. They also invented the world's first waffle ice cream cone machine! They have been selling their treats in the same spot since 1934.
Healthcare Services
Ghent is home to Hampton Roads' largest medical center. It has the only Level 1 trauma center in the area. This means it can handle the most serious injuries. The complex includes Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Sentara Heart Hospital, and Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters. It also includes Eastern Virginia Medical School.
Important medical milestones happened here. The first open-heart surgery in Virginia was performed at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in 1967. Also, the first baby in the United States conceived by in vitro fertilization (IVF) was born there in 1981.
Flooding Risk
Norfolk is a low-lying area. Because of this, and its closeness to the coast, the Ghent area is at risk of rising sea levels. This means it can be affected by coastal storms and flooding.
