City Selects Team Henry Enterprises to Construct Shockoe Institute 

February 11, 2025  - News Release

The City of Richmond and Team Henry Enterprises have entered into a formal agreement to begin construction of the Shockoe Institute, an over 12,000 square-foot educational facility, located in Shockoe Bottom at Richmond’s historic Main Street Station and funded by an $11 million grant from the New York City based Mellon Foundation.  

 Officially launched in July of 2024, the Shockoe Institute is a national organization headquartered in Richmond, dedicated to revealing the enduring impact of racial slavery on our shared American experience. The Institute is an independent, nonprofit entity that will serve as a place of learning, reflection, and action by examining the evolution of racial slavery in the Commonwealth, Richmond’s pivotal role in America’s internal trade in enslaved people, and the national ramifications of this history. Through data informed, evidence-based examination of America’s legacy of enslavement, the Shockoe Institute seeks to play a constructive role in creating solutions to help create a better future. 

 Team Henry Enterprises is a national construction firm led by founder Devon Henry, an expert in historic revitalizations with an impressive and diverse national portfolio.  

 “As a Virginia-based construction firm deeply rooted in this community, we are honored to partner with the City of Richmond and the Shockoe Institute on this transformative project," said Devon Henry, President and CEO of Team Henry Enterprises LLC. "Our team understands the profound significance of this site, and we are committed to executing this project with the utmost care, precision, and respect it deserves." 

 "We are thrilled the City of Richmond has selected Team Henry to build the Shockoe Institute," said Institute President & CEO Marland Buckner. “Alongside our world-renowned exhibition design partners Local Projects, Team Henry will bring the kind of high-quality construction capability and expertise critical to ensuring that the Shockoe Institute can meet its mission. The City’s agreement with Team Henry represents a critical step toward our goal of opening the Institute to the public by 2026.”  

About the Shockoe Institute 

The Shockoe Institute is a national organization headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, dedicated to revealing the enduring impact of racial slavery on our shared American experience. The Institute has undertaken a transformative project to develop an over 12,000 square foot exhibition and educational facility, located in Shockoe Bottom at Richmond’s historic Main Street Station. The Institute is an independent, nonprofit entity that will serve as a place of learning, reflection, and action by examining the evolution of racial slavery in the Commonwealth, Richmond’s pivotal role in America’s internal trade in enslaved people, and the national ramifications of this history. Through data informed, evidence-based examination of America’s legacy of enslavement, the Shockoe Institute seeks to play a constructive role in creating solutions to help create a better future. Learn more at shockoeinstitute.org. 

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