Vandals strike Richmond Museum over weekend

Vandals smashed a window at the Richmond Museum of History early Sunday morning. The museum’s alarm system alerted the Richmond Police Department just after midnight, and responding officers discovered the damaged building.

Public Information Officer Sergeant Nicole Abetkov said investigators dusted for fingerprints, but have no suspects.

Alarm response is typically fast, Abetkov said. Police are dispatched and arrive on scene in about five minutes. Yet even a swift response can leave time for vandals to escape. “People can get in and out quickly,” she said.

Melinda McCrary, the executive director of the Richmond Museum of History, posted to the RealRICH Facebook page on Sunday, writing that she “noticed other boarded up windows” in the neighborhood, and wondered about a resurgence of crime in the area.

McCrary declined to be interviewed for this story.

The Richmond Museum of History sits on 400 Nevin Ave., adjacent to Nevin Park, in the heart of the Iron Triangle. The brick building with white Roman columns, known as the Carnegie Building, is over 100 years old and was originally a public library.

Around the perimeter of the building is a formidable iron fence, and visitors to the museum must be buzzed in from the street.

Seven years ago, the City of Richmond invested over $2 million to renovate the Nevin Park area, once a hub of violence. According to RPD, over the past decade reported crime in Richmond has declined more than 40 percent. The most recent monthly crime statistics report from March 2014 show that property crime and violent crime have dropped 13.85 percent this year.

However, there has been a recent spate of violence in the Iron Triangle, including a double homicide on Saturday, Sept. 20.

Richmond police identify double homicide victims

If anyone has information about the vandalism of the Richmond Museum of History, please contact the anonymous tip line at the Richmond Police Department: 510-232-TIPS.