Workers installed a new cupola at Fox Elementary School on Friday morning, eliciting a round of cheers as the dome-like structure floated up and over the school’s roof to the pedestal where it now sits.
Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras referred to it as the “crowning moment for the building,” which was significantly damaged by a 2022 fire.
“If you recall, during the fire, the cupola actually fell through the center of the building and was destroyed,” said principal Daniela Jacobs. “So, it’s been rebuilt and ready to go.”
The reconstructed cupola is part of an almost $30 million reconstruction effort that was partially funded by historic tax credits.
Fox opened in 1911 on Hanover Avenue and would go on to develop a devoted community in the Fan.
Jillian Goldenbaum — an RPS teacher whose children attended Fox — remembered the day of the fire: “I woke up to all these messages from people, and then watched the news and cried.”
Jacobs, the principal, shared a similar sentiment on last week.
“Words don’t even describe it,” she said. “It was just so devastating for the entire community. That whole time was just a big blur to me.”
The three-alarm fire triggered an investigation, but the Richmond Fire Department still lists the cause of the blaze as undetermined. School officials said Friday it could have been caused by faulty wiring.
Following the fire, VPM News examined fire inspection records for Richmond’s public schools between 2015 and 2022. The investigation pinpointed hundreds of fire code violations and uncovered a problematic response to the inspections.
“Basically, all that was left was the shell of the building,” Kamras said about the Fox fire. “We had a lot of water in the basement, which destroyed all of the mechanical equipment.”
Kamras said the school had to be largely rebuilt — but Fox will have more classroom space when it’s planned to reopen in fall 2025.
