St. Alban's Hall
Also known as: The Crenshaw Building
Why it's listed
Built in 1869 at the corner of 3rd and East Main Streets in Richmond, St. Alban's Hall is a three-story brick building covered in stucco scored to resemble stone, with quoins, a metal cornice and a pedimented central pavilion. Two Masonic lodges, Metropolitan Lodge #11 and Joppa Lodge #40, built it through a Masonic Building Association to meet nearer their members' homes. The ground floor held a shop, the second floor a concert hall, and the third floor the Masonic rooms, whose frescoed, starry ceilings drew praise in contemporary newspaper accounts. It was the first institutional building raised in Richmond after the Civil War, and its mix of income-producing and Masonic space became a pattern for later lodge buildings. The Scottish Rite bodies owned it from 1891 until 1920. Alterations in the 1940s removed the storefront, added an elevator and stair, and divided the upper floors into offices. A rehabilitation was under way when it was nominated, restoring the exterior.
Significance in brief: It was the first institutional building erected in Richmond after the Civil War and marked the start of the city's recovery after the burning of the central district. It combined shops, a concert hall and Masonic rooms, a model repeated in later Masonic buildings in the city. Its Tuscan Palazzo or Renaissance Revival design was rare in the postwar South.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 82004588, listed September 9, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 300--302 E. Main St., Richmond (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Richmond (city and county) |
| Listed | September 9, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82004588 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 (specific date 1869) |
| Architect / builder | Unknown; built by the Masonic Building Association |
| Architectural style | Renaissance Revival / Tuscan Palazzo mode, forerunner of High Victorian Italianate |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | By 1980 much of the building was vacant and in need of repair; at the time of nomination it was being totally rehabilitated, with the exterior restored and the interior kept as offices. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Within district | James River and Kanawha Canal Historic District |
| Coordinates | 37.54214, -77.44250 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 82004588.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16238387
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.