Organization of the Club was begun and officers were elected at meetings held in June 1873.  The Virginia General Assembly approved the Act of Incorporation, February 2, 1874.  The Club soon afterward published this account:

“A party of gentlemen, meeting by chance one evening in June 1873 at the rooms of Mr. John Vermillion, over Taylor’s Drug Store, corner of Bank and Freemason Streets, discussed the necessity of a club and the formation of one was proposed.  Mr. John R. Todd and Mr. J. T. White were requested, as a committee, to bring the subject before their friends, and subsequently reported that 84 names had been obtained.

A general meeting was then called, June 23, 1873, at the office of Captain J. S. Tucker, on the site of the Academy of Music, on Main Street.  The name VIRGINIA CLUB was proposed by Mr. Frank Dornin, and was adopted.  The following gentlemen were elected governors:

Messrs. W. H. Taylor, W. H. Doyle, J. R. Todd, W. Charles Hardy, J. B. Whitehead, Thomas Pinckney, T. B. Rowland, T. B. Ward, Carey Weston, J. T. White, Richard Walke, J. S. Tucker, W. H. White, and Richard Chamberlaine.

At the first meeting of the Board of Governors, held June 26, 1873, the officers of the Club were elected:

President, Col. W. H. Taylor;

Vice President, Mr. Thomas Pinckney;

Secretary, Mr. John R. Todd;

Treasurer, Mr. Walter H. Doyle

“The Constitution and By-Laws were adopted July 2, 1873, and the house at 59 Main Street (next to the Custom House) was secured and retained until the autumn of 1879, when Mr. A. Meade Smith was duly authorized to procure permanent quarters for the Club.”

The Newton property at the southwest corner of Plume and Granby Streets was obtained on lease, with the privilege of purchase, and after being remodeled, the Club took possession of its new home.  The Club exercised its option to purchase and acquired the property on January 14, 1888.

On the night of January 30, 1902, the Club’s building was totally destroyed by fire as were the adjacent Atlantic Hotel (where the fire started) and other buildings in the block bounded by Main, Granby, Plume, and Randolph Streets.  The loss was estimated at $900,000, with about one-half covered by insurance.

The process of rebuilding of the Virginia Club was undertaken at once.  Meanwhile, temporary quarters were secured by the Club at Granby and Freemason Streets until the new building was ready for occupancy on April 1, 1904.  This remained the Club’s home until World War I, when it became necessary to reduce expenses; new quarters were secured at 315-319 West Freemason Street in 1916.  The Club moved again after WWI, around 1919, into the former Alvah H. Martin home at 524 Fairfax Avenue in Ghent.  This was the Club’s first venture out of the downtown area, where it remained until 1926.

By 1927, the Virginia Club had moved to 423 West Bute Street, and had joined forces with the Norfolk Boat Club in an effort to make its facilities more attractive; apparently, it had proved difficult to attract sufficient patronage as a luncheon club subsequent to leaving the downtown area.  The Club’s new home was in the Merritt T. Cooke residence at the foot of Bute and Freemason Streets.  It was described as, “admirably suited to its purposes” with lofty ceilings, wide halls, and graceful staircases combining to make a beautiful structure.  This was once the home of Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr., a hero of the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812, and the youngest man to reach the rank of captain in the U. S. Navy.  The move to attract a larger membership, however, ultimately did not succeed, and the Club, like many civic organizations of the day, became dormant for a period in the midst of The Great Depression.

N. H. Bundy led former members in reviving and reorganizing the Virginia Club in 1932.  It was decided to return to the downtown area.  Quarters were secured in the Lorraine Hotel (which later became the Thomas Nelson Hotel and the Tazewell Inn) on the northeast corner of Granby and Tazewell Streets.  R. J. Throckmorton was elected President with N. H. Bundy elected Secretary and Treasurer.

Interest in the Club picked up rapidly after its return to downtown, and after a few years,  it became necessary to look for larger quarters.  A rare division of opinion developed when a choice had to be made between the C. Whittle Sams‘ House on Boush Street and quarters on the second floor of the Selden Arcade.  The Arcade won.  By 1940, the Club was settled in its new home in the Selden Arcade on Main Street where it remained for the next 57 years.

For more than 25 years after returning to the downtown area, the Club enjoyed excellent patronage.  During much of this time, there was a waiting list of applicants for membership.  However, as a result of changing business conditions (i.e., an exodus of many businesses from the downtown area as a result of urban redevelopment), the membership began to decline.  Although the membership was not as robust as through the 1940’s and 1950’s, it did stabilize and continued to provide an outlet for friendship and camaraderie into the early 1960s.

In 1964, as part of an effort to increase membership, the Club’s facilities were substantially remodeled and the preparation of food was contracted to the Snug Harbor Restaurant located on the first floor of the Selden Arcade.  On the 26th of October 1973, President Monroe Nash, Jr., led the Club as it celebrated its one hundredth anniversary with a Centennial Dinner reminiscent of the Great Feast of 1876, the lavishness of which gained the occasion a permanent place in local banqueting lore.

As we moved through the 1970’s, the Club began to experience potential competition from “upstarts” such as the Harbor Club on the top floor of the 25-story office tower at One Commercial Place.  In fact, there was considerable discussion as to actually combining with the Harbor Club; however, it came to no avail as tradition overcame modernization.  The Club has survived continually changing economic and demographic trends and has somehow always “come through.”

In the mid-1980‘s, there was a major analysis done as to the potential benefits of moving the Club one again in order to boost membership.  From the top of the Dominion Tower on Waterside Drive to the basement of the Old Post Office on Plume Street (now part of the Slover Memorial Library) to joining forces with the Town Point Club, no stone was left unturned.  Ultimately, the Club took the high road and stayed independent maintaining its unique style and character.

At this point, it was determined that the Selden facilities had to be upgraded.  As finances were very low, the membership was solicited to complete this endeavor.  With limited resources, the work was completed, and the Club took on an ambiance of what some referred to as “Shabby Gentility.”

Nineteen hundred and ninety-six turned out to be a most significant year as the Club determined that it could no longer stay at the Selden Arcade location.  Committees were formed to begin the extensive research necessary in order to locate a new facility.  When the former Southern Bank of Norfolk/Auslew Gallery property was mentioned, it was at first thought to be out of reach economically.  However, once again the membership truly committed themselves and raised adequate funds to refurbish the property and move into a truly magnificent setting.

The Club moved to 101 Granby Street in 1997.  The interior renovations were designed and supervised by Club member John Paul C. Hanbury who was also in charge of the 1999 restoration of the Virginia Executive Mansion in Richmond.  The move to the northwest corner of Granby and Main Streets proved to be very positive as patronage increased and the membership and finances continued to improve.  The Club’s home was listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register.  Ironically, 101 Granby Street is directly across the street from the Virginia Club’s original home (long since demolished) at 59 Main Street, directly west of The Customhouse. 

After 22 years at 101 Granby Street, the Virginia Club was on the move again.  Members desired that all of the Club’s facilities should be consolidated and not on multiple floors.  This goal was realized when the Club moved to the ground floor of of our current location at 500 East Plume Street, adjacent to the historic MacArthur Memorial.  Our space faces the City Hall Avenue side of the building with a private entrance, and is directly opposite the MacArthur Center South parking garage. 

Throughout the Club’s existence, there runs a strong and steady pattern of conviviality and good fellowship, in itself an enviable attainment for any club and one that deserves meritorious comment and prideful acclaim.  While we may not go back to the “old table/young table” setting, we are confident that those who follow will continue to be bound by the objectives and traditions that have carried the Virginia Club so admirably since 1873.