Arts and Crafts
Multi-Purpose

1904  Royal Arcanum Building
Designed by Alfredo Taylor

This multi-purpose building was designed in 1904 by Alfredo Taylor to house the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department, organized in 1902, and the clubrooms of the Wangum Council of the Royal Arcanum, a fraternal society active in Norfolk. The insignia of both organizations mark their respective entrances fronting Station Place. The crown and monogram VMC on either side of the main entrance stand for the three governing principles of the Royal Arcanum: virtue, mercy, and charity. At the west end of the building a pedestrian arcade marked the entrance to the post office and drugstore. With a steeply-pitched slate roof and exposed rafters, patterned red and green brickwork, and green faience panels, Taylor’s distinctive design creates a lively textured surface firmly rooted in the Arts and Crafts impulse. A Beaux-Arts educated architect, Taylor designed over three dozen structures in the greater Norfolk area, and his imaginative designs are now part of a National Register Thematic District.

Historic District Walking Tour Map Index: 50

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