Built circa 1895 and listed on the state and national registers, the First Virginia Volunteers Battalion Armory, also known as the Leigh Street Armory, is the oldest armory building standing in Virginia. It has significant cultural heritage as one of the only existing armories built for an African-American military battalion. The armory suffered severe damage from fire, years of neglect, exposure to the elements, and vandalism. The armory received a grant under the U.S. Department of the Interior Save America’s Treasures Program and the City of Richmond wanted to stabilize the building and prevent further deterioration of the surviving elements while they evaluated various options for building.