Ribbon Cutting Held for New Accessibility Ramp at Aberdeen Gardens Museum

By Rosaland Tyler
Associate Editor
New Journal and Guide

The Aberdeen Gardens Museum recently paved the way for anyone with a mobility-related disability to tour the facility by holding a dedication ceremony for its new access ramp on the first day of National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

Museum staff, community members, local officials, Dominion Energy leaders, and volunteers were on hand October 1 as the museum dedicated its new accessibility ramp which was funded with a grant from the Dominion Energy Charitable Fund. It was constructed by the W.F. Magann Corp.

The new ramp includes a paved path that cuts through the backyard for guests who use wheelchairs, canes and walkers. A Pew Research Center report shows there are about 42.5 million Americans with disabilities. About 19 percent of all U.S. households have someone with a mobility-related disability.

“Some people might think an accessibility ramp at a neighborhood museum isn’t that big a deal, but it is,” Hampton Vice Mayor Steve Brown said at the recent dedication ceremony. “It’s important that we don’t miss the significance of what’s happening here today. Aberdeen Gardens is a big part of our city’s history. This building showcases that history to anyone who wants to learn about it. And now, with an ADA-compliant ramp, we truly can say that the story of Aberdeen Gardens is accessible to everyone — as it should be.”

Bonita Billingsley Harris, a strategic advisor for Dominion Energy, is the great-granddaughter of Charles Duke, who was the architect in chief who helped plan Aberdeen Gardens. She and her mother, Amy Billingsley, said the neighborhood’s impact on their family’s history is significant.

“My grandfather was very proud of Aberdeen Gardens,” Amy Billingsley said. “I know he would be thrilled to see it still thriving today. Maybe he’s looking down on us now.”

Margaret Wilson, president of the Historical Foundation of Aberdeen Gardens, explained the ramp’s impact at the recent dedication ceremony.

“People want to come to the museum and learn about this neighborhood and the people who live here,” Wilson said. “It bothered me when someone with a wheelchair called and I had to tell them I couldn’t set up a visit for them. I’m glad that the next time an organization calls and they’ve got people with wheelchairs, I get to say, ‘When can you come?’”

Kasia Grzelkowski, president and CEO of the nonprofit Versability Resources, said,  “No one should ever be left at the door. What this ramp says is, ‘You are welcome here.’”

This project is the first phase to allow greater access to learn about this important piece of local history. The second phase of the plan includes extending the pathway to its historical markers behind the museum.

The Aberdeen Gardens Historic Museum is located at 55 and 57 N. Mary Peake Blvd., Hampton. The neighborhood was built for “Blacks by Blacks” in 1934 as part of the New Deal Settlement. It is listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register, and is also on the National Register of Historic Places.

 Notable Aberdeen Gardens residents over the years include Hazel O’Leary, Former U.S. Secretary of Energy; Retired Judge Wilford Taylor; Retired NBA Hall of Famer Allen Iverson; Olympian Francena McCorory; Retired Ambassador Howard Walker; and Retired NFL football player and Coach Jerry Holmes.