NORFOLK — For decades the area along the Elizabeth River around Front Street in Norfolk was alive with shipping and commerce, and crowded with large warehouses that held, among other goods, cotton.
While the cotton trade there is no more, at least one of the warehouses remains and it underwent a complete renovation nearly 30 years ago. The old cotton warehouse is now The Pier Condominium located at 40 Rader St. and it offers some of the best and most interesting views of river life in Hampton Roads.
“We’re not just on the water, we’re in the water,” said Claudia Mackintosh, who is not only the listing agent with Chandler Reality, but she also lives in a condo there. The Pier is indeed surrounded on three sides by water.
Located near mile marker zero on the Intracoastal Waterway, river traffic provides almost constant entertainment. At any time of the day, there might be the smallest of pleasure craft cruising by or working fishing and crabbing boats plying their trade.
A little more spectacular are the large container ships being “tugged” around, which is certainly a sight to see.
But the show-stopper, said Mackintosh, is when the impressive and imposing aircraft carriers of the U.S. Navy have cause to sail nearby.
From the condo’s balcony to the west and southwest there are views across the river of Downtown Portsmouth, Hospital Point, and the Portsmouth Marine Terminals.
To the northeast there’s The Hague with the rooftops of Ghent as a backdrop. The more northerly view is of the medical complex, which was once the neighborhood of Atlantic City. That neighborhood was razed decades ago to make room for new development.
And of course, to the east and southeast, the Freemason District, Downtown Norfolk, the Nauticus and the USS Wisconsin provide amazing views and great photo opportunities.
Mackintosh said that when the circa 1912 warehouse was remodeled in the mid-1980s a fifth and sixth floor were added to the existing four story structure and 67 condo units were created. The dock along the Elizabeth River floats (rising and falling with the ebb and flow of the river) and provides 35 boat slips for building residents.
For more information on The Pier and the condos there, visit Chandler Realty online.
