St. Luke Hall

St. Luke Hall served as the headquarters of the Independent Order of St. Luke

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

Richmond, Virginia

Significance:

Headquarters of the Independent Order of St. Luke

Designation:

National Register of Historic Places

OPEN TO PUBLIC:

No

MANAGED BY:

privately-owned by Dodson Property Management of Richmond

Beginnings

St. Luke Hall served as the primary headquarters for the Independent Order of St. Luke, a fraternal society operating as a mutual aid and insurance organization in Richmond, Virginia. The building was first built in 1903 next to the then-headquarters for the Independent Order of St. Luke on the corner of St. James and Baker streets in the Jackson Ward neighborhood. Initially St. Luke Hall was a three-story Edwardian style building designed by John H. White and the old headquarters building was demolished by make room for future additions. 

Throughout its history, the St. Luke building grew as the Independent Order of St. Luke expands its operations throughout the early 1900's. In the late 1910's, Charles T. Russell, a Tuskegee educated architect and the first licensed black architect in Richmond designed two of the main changes to St. Luke Hall. On the southern side of the building he added another bay to provide more space and a new main entrance to the building. He would also design a new fourth floor with an elevator to provide enhanced access to all the floors of the building. 

Uses of the St. Luke Hall

The main use for St. Luke Hall was as the main headquarters for the Independent Order of St. Luke. Most of the organizations workers, such as stenographers and bookkeepers, worked in St. Luke Hall helping to grow the organization. Many of the leadership of the Independent Order, such as Maggie L. Walker, the leader of the organization, worked out of St. Luke Hall. Many of the councils of the Independent Order of St. Luke, as well as other organizations, such as the Richmond Urban League, used the meeting spaces in the St. Luke Hall.

St. Luke Hall also housed many of the other activities and business operations for the organization as well. One of the most notable but shortest business operations inside St. Luke Hall occurred in November 1903 when Maggie L. Walker and the Independent Order of St. Luke opened the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank. On the banks first day of operation, 280 different people and organizations deposited over $8,000. The bank operated in St. Luke Hall gaining more deposits, achieving enough success that the bank moved out of the building beginning in 1905.  

Another of the major business operation in St. Luke Hall was the publishing of the organization's newspaper, the St. Luke Herald. In a 1901 speech, Maggie L. Walker called for the creation of a newspaper for the Independent Order of St. Luke, to be used to spread the St. Luke mission across the country. The first issue of the weekly St. Luke Herald was distributed on March 29, 1902 and continued out of the basement of St. Luke Hall for several decades, at one point being the most widely circulated black newspaper in Richmond. The printing presses in St. Luke Hall were used by various organizations and businesses in Richmond raising revenue for the Independent Order of St. Luke and making St. Luke Hall more of a business center for the residents of Jackson Ward.

Today

While the Independent Order of St. Luke closed out its operations in the 1980's, St. Luke Hall still stands in the same location where Maggie L. Walker worked to spread the influence of the organization. Today, St. Luke Hall is a privately-owned building that features both residential and commercial space.