In 1961 workers were laboring tirelessly to demolish the All Saints Episcopal Church, along with many other buildings on West Franklin Street to make room for a new high-rise apartment building and other developments. The church had been established in Richmond in 1883, and had held their first service on Franklin street on January 7, 1901 when their new church was finished. The All Saints Episcopal Church relocated to River Road in 1955. Six years later, the old church was being demolished so that new developments could revitalize West Franklin Street.
Throughout 1961 many photographs of Franklin Street show the renovating or demolishing of historic buildings in order to either return the buildings to their former glory, or to make room for modern upgrades. West Franklin Street had been a prosperous area in the past. This renovating and revitalizing of the street was an attempt to return the street to its former glory. While the destruction of some historic buildings may have been misguided follies, the goal of restoring Franklin Street to the thriving area it once was, is a noble one.