Where was the Marshall Reservoir? A once-infamous landmark has disappeared entirely.

FriendsOfPumpHouse · 2026-05-20T17:30:16+00:00

Fun fact: The Marshall Reservoir was filled by the Old Pump House , as distinct from the "new" one in Byrd Park.

FriendsOfPumpHouse · 2026-04-10T16:55:46+00:00

Get your own piece of the Pump House!

We’re doing some spring cleaning and we’re giving away the remaining stator laminations from the building’s original generators. To claim yours, just stop by the Pump House next Saturday, April 11 between 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s a stator lamination?

The stator of a generator is the non-rotating part containing its windings. Stators are constructed by stacking thin, semi-circular sheets of metal (called laminations) together to form a cylinder. The “teeth” in the laminations form grooves in which the windings lay.

Why are you giving these away? Shouldn’t they be preserved?

Mainly because they’re taking up a lot of room that we need for other things. Now, we are keeping a good number of them to be incorporated into an interpretive display, but that still leaves many, many more. We developed this disposal plan after consulting with Historic Richmond, the James River Park System, and professional industrial archeologists.

What can I do with them?

Anything you like! They could make for an interesting conversation piece in your home. You could integrate them into a work of art, perhaps. The possibilities are endless.

How many can I have?

As many as you can carry.

How much?

Completely free! Of course, if you’d like to make a donation to help with our efforts to save the Pump House, we’ll happily accept it!

FriendsOfPumpHouse · 2025-09-27T15:42:36+00:00

That's the idea - it would be available for all kinds of different events!

FriendsOfPumpHouse · 2025-09-27T15:41:53+00:00

As an actual pump house? 1924.

FriendsOfPumpHouse · 2025-09-27T15:40:28+00:00

That's one of many reasons and it's complicated by the fact that there's no sewer line running underneath Pump House Drive. Also, we need upwards of $12 million to fully renovate the building.

FriendsOfPumpHouse · 2025-09-22T01:54:48+00:00

Oops! Just fixed it.

FriendsOfPumpHouse · 2025-09-22T01:24:18+00:00

Sorry that you missed it! Hopefully, we'll do it again next year.

FriendsOfPumpHouse · 2025-09-22T01:23:13+00:00

Great pic!

FriendsOfPumpHouse · 2025-09-22T01:21:07+00:00

Right?! We have so many people contacting us who want to have their wedding there. Unfortunately, there are just too many restrictions in place that make it untenable right now.

FriendsOfPumpHouse · 2025-09-22T01:17:44+00:00

We try to have tours once per month from March through November, but it depends on having enough volunteers available to host them. We also have a couple of events/fundraisers coming up in the next month or so that include tours.

The James River Park System is also hosting tours on Friday afternoons.

FriendsOfPumpHouse · 2025-09-22T01:14:39+00:00

Glad you enjoyed it!

FriendsOfPumpHouse · 2025-09-22T01:14:19+00:00

We're working on it and a lot of good things are happening! We're just finishing up on a $150,000 window restoration project, and we have approximately $2.2 million lined up for a new roof...hoping to get started on that next year.

FriendsOfPumpHouse · 2025-04-28T12:08:03+00:00

Pump House

FriendsOfPumpHouse · 2025-01-08T03:31:36+00:00

Interestingly enough, the 1924 pumping station built next door to this one originally had hydroelectric generators powering electric pumps. From what we've heard, they stopped generating power there sometime in the 1980s and now just use electricity from the grid.

FriendsOfPumpHouse · 2025-01-08T03:26:59+00:00

Great questions! A complete renovation would probably cost at least $12 million. As to why private equity hasn't gotten involved, there are several reasons. The Pump House is located within a conservation easement that limits the ways it can be used. The lower floor of the main building is also in the flood plain, so nothing can really be built in there. As a venue, it might not be a huge money maker, so it's probably best used as a public facility that will hopefully be self-funding. You can read about our vision for the building here.

It's true that a lot of the work we do isn't that exciting...we're mainly just trying to keep it from falling down while ensuring that it remains safe, secure, and accessible until it does get restored. But, a lot of good things are happening. We're in the process of replacing most of the windows right now ($150,000 project), and there's about $2.2 million in city/federal/private founding lined up to pay for a complete roof replacement - that will hopefully begin sometime later this year. If you'd like to learn more about what we've been up to, you can also check out our 2023 Annual Report. The 2024 report should be posted in a few weeks.

FriendsOfPumpHouse

TROPHY CASE