Virginia Union in Richmond, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Pickford Hall

Photographed By J. J. Prats, September 3, 2017

1. Pickford Hall Marker

Inscription. Pickford Hall was named in honor of former Board of Trustees member C.J Pickford. The building was the original classroom building and would later contain the “Old Pie Shop,” the first student “hangout” on campus. The first classes held on Virginia Union''s Lombardy Street campus were taught in the partially completed Pickford Hall on October 4, 1899. Classes were held in the midst of continued construction and noise. Desks were brought from Richmond Seminary to be used in the assembly room while the lecture hall was being completed.

Pickford Hall is one of nine buildings commissioned by the American Baptist Home Mission Society and designed by New York architect John Hopper Coxhead in 1899. The buildings were all erected in locally hewn gray granite and fashioned in a uniform and picturesque architectural style known as Romanesque. Five of the nine buildings remain in use on the campus today.

Erected 2012 by Virginia Union University.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities series list. A significant historical date for this entry is October 4, 1899.

Location. 37° 33.651′ N, 77°

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27.092′ W. Marker is in Richmond, Virginia. It is in Virginia Union. Marker is on North Lombardy Street south of Brock Road, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1500 N Lombardy St, Richmond VA 23220, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Coburn Hall (within shouting distance of this marker); Ellison Hall (within shouting distance of this marker); Martin E. Gray Hall (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Virginia Union University (about 400 feet away); Huntley Hall (about 500 feet away); Virginia Union University 150th Anniversary Memorial (about 500 feet away); Henderson Center (about 600 feet away); First Southern African American Girl Scouts (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Richmond.

Also see . . . Pickford Hall. This page has a photo of Pickford Hall before the marker was erected. (Submitted on May 19, 2018.)

Pickford Hall Marker at Pickford Hall image. Click for full size.

Photographed By J. J. Prats, September 3, 2017

2. Pickford Hall Marker at Pickford Hall

Credits. This page was last revised on November 10, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 19, 2018, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 289 times since then and 49 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 19, 2018, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. Photo of Pickford Hall • Can you help?