Avula reopens City Hall observation deck to the public

The general public can once again visit the top-floor observation deck at Richmond’s City Hall building, officials announced Thursday.

The 18th-floor deck — where visitors can take in panoramic views of downtown and beyond — had been closed to the public since the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020.

In a news release, Mayor Danny Avula said his administration is reopening the observation deck after making changes to security and elevator protocols at City Hall. Getting the deck reopened, Avula said, was a “major goal” during his first year in office.

“For decades, the City Hall Observation Deck has been one of Richmond’s gems,” said Avula said in the release “It’s a place where you can step back, see our city from a new perspective, and appreciate how all our neighborhoods connect in ways that aren’t always visible from the ground.”

The public will be able to access the deck through a dedicated elevator from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, according to the city, except for official holidays and days when weather renders the deck inaccessible.

The deck was closed to the public shortly after the 2019 mass shooting at a government building in Virginia Beach. That shooting, perpetrated by a disgruntled former employee, prompted government officials around Virginia to reexamine security protocols for public buildings.

Visitors to Richmond’s City Hall have to go through metal detectors and sign in at a front desk overseen by contracted security guards. The city recently tweaked that setup, transitioning to armed security guards and installing a new type of scanner outside the building that can alert guards to possible weapons before someone comes inside.

Local governments in Virginia previously lacked the authority to ban guns in government buildings. Richmond officials banned firearms in City Hall after state law was changed in 2020 to give them that power.  

Even though the observation deck was closed to outside visitors, the city continued to use the space for government events and parties.

“City Hall is and always will be the people’s house,” Chief Administrative Officer Odie Donald II said in the release. “Opening this space is a reminder that buildings are also places of pride, connection, and perspective to the people they serve.”

More information about visiting the observation deck is available on the city website.

Contact Reporter Graham Moomaw at gmoomaw@richmonder.org