Venable Hall

Venable Hall
Venable Hall at Hampden–Sydney. Front facade, from the north.
Interactive map of the Venable Hall area
Etymology	Richard Venable
General information
Type	Dormitory
Architectural style	Federal
Location	Hampden Sydney, Virginia, United States
Coordinates	37°14′25″N 78°27′39″W / 37.240361°N 78.46092°W / 37.240361; -78.460921
Current tenants	Hampden–Sydney College
Construction started	1824
Completed	1830
Owner	Hampden–Sydney College
Technical details
Floor count	4
Design and construction
Architects	Dabney Cosby, Reuben and John Perry

Venable Hall is a dormitory at Hampden–Sydney College in southside Virginia. Built in sections from 1824 to 1830, Venable Hall is the second oldest dormitory on Hampden–Sydney's campus. The building is listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register (1969) and on the National Register of Historic Places (1970)² as a contributing property to Hampden–Sydney College Historic District.

Construction of Venable Hall began in 1824 and was completed in three separate phases by 1830. The building was designed and constructed by Dabney Cosby³ in the Federal style of architecture and designed to complement Cushing Hall.

When completed in 1830, the building was the home of the Union Theological Seminary. Venable Hall provided the first Presbyterian seminary in the South and eventually became the head institution of the Southern Presbyterian Church. The seminary existed in Hampden–Sydney until 1898 when it moved to its current location in Richmond.³

Subsequent to the Seminary's move to Richmond, Major Richard Venable, Hampden–Sydney Class of 1857, bought its buildings for $10,000 and gave them to the college, doubling the size of the campus. Named in his honor, Venable Hall is now a residence hall and contains the Parents & Friends Lounge, the former Seminary chapel.⁴ Graduation, typically held in May, is conducted in the front lawn of Venable Hall.