The L.H. Jenkins book bindery building as it appeared in
Richmond Magazine, March, 1930. Drawing by Charles W Smith.
(click for larger view)
The L.H. Jenkins bookbinder building was completed in 1922 with the right wing addition designed by Richmond architect Charles M. Robinson. The main building on the left was completed in 1902. The bindery building stands at 2201 W. Broad Street. The L.H. Jenkins firm was begun ca. 1900 - he had been in the business for almost two decades prior to that. The image of Luther Howard Jenkins (1856-1935?) and the original factory (seen below) are from Richmond, City on the James: The Book of its Chamber of Commerce and Principal Business Interests, published 1902-3 and found on Google Books. In the early 1980s the building was converted to office space. Numerous businesses are now located in this building. The hard working staff of Richmond Magazine (the current incarnation) also work out of this building, including some guy with a hat.
Images from Richmond, City on the James: The Book of its Chamber of Commerce and Principal Business Interests, published 1902-3 and found on Google Books.
6 comments:
Hah! Well done. Jenkins died here while opening his morning mail. His bequest funded the construction of University of Richmond's Greek amphitheater, among other charitable gifts. Jenkins' house at Strawberry and Monument was the resident of his nephew until about four years ago; he had a few thousand books on the ample shelves. The pre-crash sale of the house was around $2.5 million, if memory serves. I did a Flashback in short-lived bullet-point format back in 1998 or so.
Very interesting. In addition, Mr. Jenkins was a 33rd Degree Mason, on the board of the Baptist Foreign Mission, and a member of the Board of Visitors at Mount Vernon. Additionally, his daughter was married to the son of John F. Stevens, the Chief Engineer of the Panama Canal, who was credited with its successful completion.
Actually, the Jenkins home, located at 1839 Monument Ave. (on the southeast corner of Meadow St. and Monument) was owned by Mr. Jenkins grandson who completed a comprehensive renovation prior to selling it in 2001.
The Jenkins Family later sold this buisness and it closed in 1973. My dad, Brady Toler, was one of the last to leave.
Years ago, I purchased a box of items from an estate sale; I could not even tell you where or when, but I just went through the box and have found many items, including photos, letters, postcards, movie stills from the 1930s, etc. There are also a lot of maps and interesting items that came from L.H. Jenkins, Inc. One envelope has the slogan, "It's Different, Anyway." I would love to share the family photos with anyone who is a relative. I wonder about the band photos, like Steeley Dan and Procal Harem, which are marked on the back for a magazine or book insert. At any rate, if you are a family member, contact me.
Any images of the bindery or bookbinding operations?
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