Richmond's gun hole lands in the Valentine museum

State of play: The Valentine acquired "the partially-broken segment" of South Addison Street sidewalk after the area was dug up for repair work in May.

• The crew who demoed the sidewalk gave the gun-shaped concrete chunk to neighbors, who preserved it for the museum, Valentine curator Christina Vida tells Axios.
• One Addison resident — a lifelong Richmonder — wanted "people to remember the grittier elements of Richmond's past," Vida says.

Now it will go on display at the Valentine as part of its "This Is Richmond, Virginia" exhibition, a rotating display of artifacts that help tell the story of Richmond and its people.

• The museum label reads: "The 'Gun Hole,' a late-20th-century sidewalk impression from South Addison Street."

Catch up quick: For about 20 years, a section of South Addison Street contained a vague gun-shaped impression.

• The gun hole may have spent another 20 years languishing undetected, but a viral 2024 tweet propelled it to stardom — and the attention of scores of locals who turned out at all hours to lay offerings to the bizarre cavity.
• The shrine, as it was for one long January weekend, included at times cigarettes, a thong, an unwrapped maxi pad, loose change, prescription meds, single-serve bottles of Fireball and (briefly) one human baby.

• But alas, shortly after, a resident complained, and the city quickly filled the hole. And though someone dug the revolver-shaped impression back out of wet concrete, the moment was gone.
• In May, the city removed and replaced the entire section of sidewalk as part of citywide upgrades.

What's next: The "This Is Richmond, Virginia" exhibit opens Tuesday, Oct. 21.

• Adult admission is $12, except on Thursdays when admission is free.