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Fan District Association records, Collection # M 14, Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.
Collection processed in May 1995
The Fan District Association (FDA) was organized in October 1961, after several meetings of interested residents during the previous year. FDA purposes, stated in the organization's Articles of Incorporation include "...[T]he FDA shall be dedicated to the preservation and restoration of the urban residential area, known as the Fan District...encourage community interaction and participation among its residents of varying ages, family sizes and life styles and promote the welfare of the Fan District, in particular, and the City of Richmond, in general."
In 1963, the organization began publishing and distributing its newsletter, FANFARE. This publication, distributed throughout the Fan, serves as the organization's main communication tool and includes articles on FDA activities, social events and on the Fan's historic past. It was also in 1963 that the FDA began its first Christmas House Tour of area homes, which has been one of the organization's main fund raising activities
For over 30 years the FDA has been active in both Fan District and city issues. In 1995, the FDA had thirteen separate committees whose activities illustrate the scope of the association's involvement. Committees include ABC Licenses, Code Enforcement, Education/Schools, Safety, VCU Liaison and Zoning. [A 1981 history of the FDA, "The Fan District Association of Richmond, Virginia, Inc." by Samuel J. T. Moore, Jr., is included in the collection]
FDA membership is open to any individual resident who lives or operates a business in the Fan District. The boundaries of the Fan are from the eastern side of North Boulevard on the west to the western side of Belvidere on the east, and from the south side of West Main Street on the south, to the south side of West Broad Street on the north.
The collection includes copies of FANFARE, beginning with issues from 1964 and continuing through 2012. Agendas, minutes, and correspondence date primarily from 1983 through 1994. Bylaws, treasurer and committee reports are included in the collection, as well as a 1981 history of the organization, which includes historic information about the Fan District.
A significant portion of the collection, when first deposited in SCA, had been divided by month in folders labeled "Agendas, Minutes". The materials were processed keeping this arrangement intact when possible. In addition to agendas and minutes, other materials, including correspondence and the reports of the treasurer and various committees, can be found in this portion of the collection. In some folders correspondence from a previous or upcoming month may be found. This material was kept in the original order preserving the timeliness of which an item may have been acted upon by the Fan District Association. The collection is arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically therein. Note: The Fanfare newsletter is stored with the other journals/newspapers in Special Collections and Archives.
The records were donated by Gail Zwimer, Director of the Fan District Assocation in 1995. Additional newsletter were added to the collection.