Postcards of Charlottesville – Vintage Charlottesville

The Norris Collection at C’ville Images is a collection of nearly 1000 postcards and similar items assembled over many years by former Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris. A long-time resident, Mr. Norris shares a passion for the city with many of his fellow citizens and his interest in local history is reflected in this collection. It was amassed one item at a time by purusing antique shops, garage sales, and online sources like eBay, with Dave seeking anything that had a connection to Charlottesville. The postcards are mostly from the early to mid-Twentieth Century and feature well-known landmarks, historic buildings, street scenes, hotels, and restaurants among other subjects. The Norris Collection includes many of the most popular cards of their day along with a few rarities. We have featured the collection in slideshows and exhibits and now for the first time are presenting them as an online exhibit. We will be adding to this exhibit occasionally so be sure to return for latest additions. Permission to use postcard images from the collection for websites, news articles, or other purposes can be attained by contacting us here at C’ville Images. Thanks to Dave Norris for trusting us to house, scan, and curate this incredible collection.

“Postcards of Charlottesville” is just one of several rotating exhibits you will find here on our website. Check back often for new exhibits and occasional changes and updates to current exhibits.

Restaurant on Ivy Road, mid-20th Century. The building now serves as the University of Virginia Police Department.

The Clermont Hotel was located on the corner of 8th and West Main Streets in the early 20th Century. It’s proximity to Union Station made it convenient for anyone traveling to Charlottesville by railroad. In the first few decades of the 1900s several hotels along this part of Main Street-located between the University and downtown did a booming business. As car travel became more popular, motels (usually located on the outskirts of town) replaced the hotels along West Main.

First Christian church on East Market street was built in the late 1890s, replacing another church building on the same lot for Disciples of Christ. There are only a few church buildings left in Charlottesville that date to the 19th Century and this is one. The structure looks much the same today and serves as The Haven, for homeless and people in need.

The C&O Railroad Depot, built circa 1905, as it looked in the early 20th Century. The long covered platform was a welcome feature for passengers arriving or departing in bad weather. Located on Water Street, the main part of the depot still stands today, although it no longer is used for rail travel. Note the old Belmont Bridge in the background. That was in use until it was replaced in the early 1960s.

Originally known as the Academical Building, Cabell Hall stands on the south end of the Lawn at UVA but was not part of the original Jefferson design. Completed in 1898, it was fairly new when this postcard was sent. Note the short-lived statue of James Monroe which stood at the time where the Homer statue is today.

The Queen Charlotte Hotel stood across from Union Station on West Main street, just west of the bridge. The photograph used for this postcard was probably taken around 1920 when the hotel was in its heyday. Like many of the postcards from this era, color was added to a black and white photograph during the printing process. Clouds and sunsets and other atmospheric features might also be added to make the setting more appealing.

Downtown Charlottesville, early 20th Century, near the intersection of First & Main Streets. Note the trolley tracks running down the center of the street. The large building on the left still stands today and was built for the Leterman Company, one of the largest department stores in Charlottesville at the time.

The Gridiron Restaurant was located on Emmet Street in the 1960s. Adjacent to a motel it catered to locals as well as people visiting town for sporting events. The building still stands today and is currently the Afghan Kabob Palace.

Leander McCormick Observatory, built in 1884, was a world-class observatory at the time and is still in use today. Leander McCormick of the family that invented and manufactured harvesters decided after the Civil War that he wanted to donate funds for the largest telescope in the world to his home state of Virginia. Both Robert E. Lee, president of Washington College at the time and Lee’s aide-de-camp during the war, Charles Scott Venable, were early enthusiastic supporters of the idea to build the observatory in Virginia. Unfortunately, the post-war economy delayed the project for a few years. It was finally built on Mount Jefferson, outside of Charlottesville, known later simply as Observatory Hill (or “O Hill”). Covered with ivy at the time of this photograph, the observatory looks pretty much the same now (minus the vines). The University of Virginia still makes use of the observatory today, teaching astronomy and conducting programs for the public.

This postcard shows Martha Jefferson Hospital on Locust Avenue in Charlottesville. First located in an adjacent building facing High Street when it was started in 1904, the hospital grew and by 1929 built the hospital seen here. The facility would continue to expand until it outgrew the Locust Avenue location and is now on Pantops Mountain overlooking the city. The building seen in this postcard has recently been converted to condominiums.

Ken Jonson Cafeteria was a popular dining spot at Barracks Road Shopping Center in the 1960s and 70s. Located on one of the “islands” of the shopping center, the building still stands and is used for a different restaurant today. The stonework seen in this photo is still part of the current facade.

This postcard was created from a photo taken at the unveiling of the Robert E. Lee statue in Lee Park in 1924. Large crowds of local citizens and various organizations attended the formal event. Despite recent claims by people viewing this postcard, those are not hooded Klansmen but more likely members of a military unit known as the Richmond Light Infantry Blues wearing their traditional hats with large tassels. This is possibly the most rare of the cards from the Norris Collection. No other copies of this card have been located.

This simple postcard features a hand-drawn view of the Skibo Lodge which was located on Route 29, north of Charlottesville, about where the entrance to Fashion Square Mall is today. The exact time frame that the motel was here is not certain but it possibly existed from the 1930s until the 1960s.

This colorized photo postcard shows Lambeth Field and how it looked in the very early days when simple bleachers built on the hillside overlooked the sports fields below where both football and baseball were played by the University’s teams. The colonnades would be built a few years later and remain there today. Located just off Rugby Road the sports field was named for Dr. William Lambeth, UVA’s first athletic director and a medical professor at the school who was an early advocate for rule changes that made the game of football safer.

Fayerweather Gymnasium, located on Rugby Road was the first facility for the University of Virginia’s basketball team. The building still stands and is now part of the Art Department at UVA.

Midway School built in the late 19th Century was located at the intersection of Ridge and West Main Streets. The postcard was created sometime before the Lewis and Clark Monument was put in place which is now located near the center of this view. Nothing seen in this image still exists.

Another colorized photograph postcard, this one was likely made from a black and white image that was originally taken during the day, leaving it to an artist to turn it into a night time scene. One clue is that the moonrise (or set) is seen in this view that looks north.

The White House Motel Court was located on Pantops Mountain and boasted an “unrivaled panoramic view of the sky line.” Richmond Road (Rt. 250) was much more narrow in those days and farms took up much of the land that today is covered with shopping centers and car dealerships. Note the restaurant in partial view at the left side of this image. That is where Tip Top Restaurant is today although the motel itself is long gone.

This postcard from the early 20th Century is based on a black and white photo from the period. Not only was the image colorized but other items were added including the car in the middle of the street.

American Red Cross building on Midmont Lane as it looked in the mid 20th Century. The building still stands but is now Zehmer Hall (Conference Center at UVA). Note the house on Lewis Mountain in the upper left of this view.

This rare view of the chapel at UVA shows the stone structure nearly completely engulfed in ivy vines. This image was probably taken in the 1930s.

Holiday Inn near the junction of the Route 250 By-pass and Route 29 North. Just beyond the motel is the Ridge Drive-in theater. And beyond that is a heavily wooded area that would soon become the Now-closed K-mart. This postcard image is not dated but is probably the early 1960s, around the time the motel was built. Route 29 (seen at the far left) is a divided highway by this time with two lanes going in each direction. This location now includes three different motels. The Holiday Inn is no longer here although the adjacent street is still called Holiday Drive.

We will periodically add more items from the Norris Collection so check back often.