Mary Lou Decossaux
Photo Credit: Richmond Times-Dispatch
About Richmond's Honorary Street Name Designations
Honorary street names can be found throughout Richmond, and are intended to memorialize individuals for their civic, cultural, humanitarian, or historically significant contributions to the Richmond Community. These designations typically apply to a portion of a street, such as a city block, and are designated by Richmond City Council via the passing of an Ordinance. Honorary street names do not replace the existing name of a street and do not require an alteration to maps or addresses.
Mary Lou Decossaux
With the help of community residents, artists, and volunteers from building trade unions, in 2005, Mary Lou Decossaux transformed a vacant U.S. Post Office building on Williamsburg Road into a much-needed community center for the Fulton Hill neighborhood in Richmond’s East End. This community center, the Neighborhood Resource Center of Greater Fulton, provides an array of preschool, after-school, and adult classes and activities that continue to fill an educational and cultural void in the Fulton and Fulton Hill communities. The Neighborhood Resource Center of Greater Fulton opened its doors in January of 2005 after two years of fundraising.
Prior to her efforts with the Neighborhood Resource Center of Greater Fulton, Mary Lou Decossaux coordinated the Coalition for a Living Wage, a group that in 2001 successfully lobbied to raise the pay rate for city employees earning minimum wage ($5.15 per hour at that time).
On Dec. 27, 2011, Mary Lou Decossaux passed away at the age of 54 after a battle with breast cancer.
Designation Area:
The 1500 block of Williamsburg Road has been given the honorary designation of Mary Lou Decossaux Street.
Download the Council Ordinance:
Learn more about this Honorary Street Designation by downloading a copy of the legislation. The Council Ordinance below is in PDF format:
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