History
The site of Pescados China Street has a rich and colorful history beginning in the mid-1750s as part of the grounds of the Belvidere Plantation, which was built by William Byrd III, son of William Byrd II who is recognized as the father of Richmond. The 17-acre plantation, described as “an elegant villa,” was located on a picturesque plateau overlooking the James River on what is now Oregon Hill.
A unique feature of Belvidere was a serpentine brick wall which bordered the property. It is probable that Thomas Jefferson copied Belvidere’s serpentine walls when he built the University of Virginia. Prominent owners of the Belvidere Plantation included Light-Horse Harry Lee, father of Robert E. Lee, and Judge Bushrod Washington, who was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Belvidere Mansion and its extensive gardens were destroyed by fire in 1854, and the land was subdivided into residential lots for workers of Tredgar Iron Works and other industrial sites along the Kanawha Canal and the James River. Streets were named after trees, such as Pine, Laurel, Cherry, and Holly Streets. Pescados is located on China Street, which is named for the chinaberry tree.
Built in the early-1900s, the restaurant building was used as a residence until 1916 when S.T. Taylor, and later R.L. Chappell and R.E. Satterwhite, introduced grocery stores to serve the local community. Around 1930, it was converted to a confectionery which was operated for several decades by Richard Fuehar and later William O’Brien. In the 1950s, the Sisters of the Most Blessed Trinity ran a nursery school and after-school program at the site. From 1959-1961, a laundromat occupied the building. In the 1970s, the Chuckwagon (last owned by Joe Burns) opened and became a favorite hangout in Oregon Hill’s close-knit, working-class neighborhood. In 2001, the Chuckwagon was renamed Hollywood Grill (operated by Brock Burns), after nearby Hollywood Cemetery, until the property was sold in 2008 to its new owners, contractor Bob Windsor and chef Todd Manley.
Bob and Todd met in 2003 when Bob was a regular customer at Pescados, the award-winning seafood restaurant in Midlothian, co-owned by Todd, Tina Manley, and Greg Smiley. As their friendship grew, Bob and Todd decided to open a second restaurant location in Oregon Hill. After Bob Windsor’s construction company completed an extensive renovation to the time-worn building, Pescados China Street opened June 2010 in the historic neighborhood.
Presenting a seafood-oriented blend of Caribbean and Latin flavors, the menu features fresh fish which arrive daily from suppliers in North Carolina, Alaska and Hawaii. The Richmond Times Dispatch, Richmond Magazine, and Style Weekly have all recognized Pescados China Street in rave reviews as one of the best new restaurants in town. Todd Manley’s innovative culinary concepts, in partnership with Bob Windsor’s eclectic renovation, have transformed the century-old site into a bona fide dining destination.
