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Richmond Landmark Falls
Built in 1927, Cabaniss Hall - the Italian Renaissance and Art Deco Gem on the MCV campus - is currently being demolished. The building has been on A.C.O.R.N.’s Endangered Building list for two years and we have been working diligently to save this and the other Endangered Buildings listed below. Unfortunately, VCU’s unwillingness to compromise as it expands its medical campus has resulted in the loss of another Richmond Landmark.
Great Lady Will Be Missed
Long-time Richmonders mourn the loss of a noble caregiver who nurtured generations of nursing students at the Medical College of Virginia. Cabaniss Hall came into the world in 1927 as MCV's nursing school, elegantly clad in Italian Renaissance Revival and trendy Art Deco fashions of the day. On June 29th, 2006, Virginia Commonwealth University cut off life support for Cabaniss Hall, which with adjacent historic buildings formed a virtual museum of architectural history along Broad Street ranging from 1814-1940.
Named for pioneer nurse Sadie Heath Cabaniss who came to Virginia in 1895, the landmark was distinguished by round arches, recessed arcade, brick columns and green glazed tiles. Ironically, last year, the state determined Cabaniss Hall to be a contributing resource to the MCV Historic District, which VCU declined to list even though it is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Ms. Cabaniss helped form the Virginia Nurses Association and helped to regulate the practice of nursing in the Commonwealth.
New buildings around Cabaniss Hall have made the elegance of design and refinement of her details even more prominent. Architectural historians, preservationists and residents who knew her best agree the nearly 90-year old landmark was one of a kind and will be missed.