Belgian Building

Belgian Building
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Virginia Landmarks Register
Richmond City Historic District
Show map of Virginia Show map of the United States
Location	Lombardy St., jct. with Brook Rd., Richmond, Virginia
Coordinates	37°33′45.4″N 77°26′59.5″W / 37.562611°N 77.449861°W / 37.562611; -77.449861
Built	1939
Architect	Victor Bourgeois, Léon Stynen
Architectural style	International Style
NRHP reference No.	01000439 [1]
VLR No.	127-0173
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	February 26, 1970
Designated VLR	December 2, 1969[2]

The Belgian Building, also known as the Belgian Friendship Building and Belgian Pavilion, is a historic building complex located in Richmond, Virginia, United States. It was originally constructed as the exhibition hall for the nation of Belgium at the 1939 New York World's Fair in New York City. One of the few buildings constructed for the fair that was designed to last beyond the event's end, the complex was initially intended to be reconstructed in Belgium following the conclusion of the fair. Due to Belgium's occupation by Nazi Germany during World War II, however, the building was instead donated to the Virginia Union University in Richmond. The facility was deconstructed in New York, shipped to Virginia, and reassembled on Virginia Union's campus. The complex served first as a new soldier processing location for the United States Army, then later as a gym, library, and classroom space for Virginia Union. The gym portion of the complex was renamed Barco-Stevens Hall, and as of 2022^[update], still hosted collegiate athletic events. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.