The 1100 block of West Grace Street might
be called “Hell Block” by some, but sophomore
Corey Caudill calls it home.
“When I first moved in … my whole
building had a party. Across the street,
there was a party,” said Caudill, 21, a mass
communications major. “There were parties
everywhere.”
Ben Hatton, an information assistant at
VCU’s off-campus housing office, said “Hell
Block,” located just two blocks from the
Stuart C. Siegel Center, boasts a reputation as
a dilapidated college party block. Part of the
problem, Hatton said, is the block’s apartment
complexes are managed by landlords who
have little incentive to repair damage caused
by partying students.
“Some of the buildings are really crappy …
but some aren’t that bad,” Hatton said. “All
the landlords over there are terrible.”
But Jon Waybright, owner and property
manager of one of the block’s management
companies, Waybright Investments, said the
block has not gained a reputation because of
his or other companies’ negligence.
Instead, the block’s reputation mainly exists
because greater numbers of students live on
“Hell Block” than other student-populated
blocks near campus, he said. With greater
numbers of students renting old, cheap apartments,
he said, more crime and property
damage are to be expected.
“You’ve got a lot of young people partying,”
Waybright said. “It can be easy to make an
over generalization, but it’s true that if you
have a greater number of students over there
going nuts, it’s going to be a problem.”
Capt. Grant J. Warren, the VCU police
department’s deputy chief of support services,
said officers are reluctant to stigmatize any
street near campus.
“There are a lot of students who live on
that block, and in the past years, we’ve had
some problems,” Grant said.
But this year, university police have not
observed any major issues with alcohol, drugs
or excessive partying on the block, he said.
And officers, he said, do not call the block,
“Hell Block.”
West Grace Street has had a reputation
as a crime-and-poverty-riddled street
for longer than students have lived
there, Waybright said. Although student
tenants should be able to enjoy parties,
he said, their escapades result in major
property damage.
“I hate it that students tear them
(buildings) to pieces,” he said. “I was a
student many years ago, so I know what
it’s like … but it’s a pity these buildings
are really hammered.”
Caudill has lived in an apartment on
the block for more than a year. Though
student tenants do throw parties, he said,
the block’s reputation is over hyped.
“Appearance-wise I think it looks
horrible,” Caudill said. “Other than that
… I think it’s fine. I don’t think there
should be any crazy crackdown on this
specific block.”
Negligent landlords are mostly to
blame for the block’s poor appearance,
Caudill said.
“Realtors don’t care because they’re
like, ‘Oh, stupid college kids,’ ” he said.
“I wish that would change.”
Waybright said he actively takes care
of his company’s property.
“I pick up trash in front of that building
all the time,” Waybright said. “I’m
an owner who’s around. I’m not running
away. I’m not hiding.”
Many of the aging buildings on the
block are on the brink of renovation,
he said. Students might complain about
the apartments’ age and condition, but if
building owners choose to renovate units,
rental prices will rise, he said.
“Just go to economics,” Waybright
said. “At some level, these units – the
way they’re priced on both sides of Grace
– they provide a niche.”
With the recent completion of The
Alexander, a relatively high-priced
condominium complex on the corner
of West Grace Street and Ryland Street,
the block’s identity might be on the
verge of changing. Some of the block’s
original buildings were constructed in the
1970s, Waybright said, and Waybright
Investments already has plans to renovate
its aging units.
However, with many current student
tenants living in sub-standard conditions,
Hatton said, he does not understand
why potential tenants are attracted to
the block.
“The place is so hellish and rundown,”
Hatton said.
Though he’s not proud to live on Hell
Block, Caudill said the location still has
its benefi ts.
“I’m glad I do, because I live close to
school,” Caudill said. “I like living here
… There’s a 7-Eleven down the street
for brewskies.”