RRHA sells long-vacant bank building in Brookland Park to youth boxing group
During Wednesday night’s meeting, the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority agreed to sell the American Bank & Trust Co. building on Brookland Park Boulevard to Cherry Pick’d Boxing, a group that will redevelop the space into a gym and “safe space” for youth.
This is the second attempt at redeveloping the site. In 2015, it was sold to a group that planned to partner with Virginia Union University to create a business incubator in the space.
That agreement fell apart, and in 2023 the land was transferred back to RRHA control.
The contract approved on Wednesday sells the building to Cherry Pick’d Boxing for $25,000, contingent on improvements being made to the building within 18 months of closing.
In documents filed with RRHA, Cherry Pick’d Boxing says it has secured a $506,700 loan to begin work on the building, which was constructed in the 1920s.
Tony Cherry, who leads the organization, couldn’t immediately be reached for comment on Thursday.
His group has been profiled locally for its work with troubled youth. In the RRHA documents, Cherry writes that the program impacts approximately 1,000 local youth each year.
“We want to expand our services of creating that safe space through opening a training gym where youth can also learn life lessons from counselors,” he wrote. “That place served as a sanctuary, keeping me and my friends out of trouble, and now I want to expand opportunities for others.”
Contact Michael Phillips at mphillips@richmonder.org.
