The Hall-Poindexter House

The Hall-Poindexter House. . , The Hall-Poindexter House, demolished in 2013, is an example of the modest wood-frame structures characteristic of the African-American community of Diamond Hill. Built around 1877, the home remained in the Hall-Poindexter family until purchased by the Virginia Military Institute in 2005. John T. L. Preston subdivided the land and built a series of homes know as “Preston Row” which was believed to have been occupied by African-Americans from the very beginning., The Hall-Poindexter House was located on South Main Street, the second structure from the intersection with Diamond Street. Like its neighbors, the home was constructed of wood and covered in wood clapboards. Over a period of 137 years the house was added to and remodeled to accommodate growing families and modern conveniences. Originally the small house was a one and a half story building with two rooms on each floor. Sometime around 1925 an addition was added to the back creating an “L” shaped floor plan. By the mid-1950s a new addition resulted in an almost square shape. The house had grown to nine rooms., The house was purchased by Lewis Hall, an African-American, from the estate of Thomas T. L. Preston in 1890. Perhaps that same year, well-known local photographer Michael Miley capture the house when he photographed Main Street from VMI. The house remained in the possession of Lewis Hall’s descendants until the residence was sold to VMI in 2005. The last private owner of the house, Samantha Poindexter, inherited the home in 1980. In recent years, the building was best known as the site of Earl’s Barbershop occupied a portion of the ground floor of the building from 1992 until 2005, while the remainder of the building continued to be used as a residence.