Sale benefits affordable housing, firehouse project

by Avice Meehan

Norfolk’s iconic Royal Arcanum is now in the hands of a new generation. The historic building was acquired on Sept. 8 for $1.4 million by American Folk & Heritage LLC, a non-profit focused on preserving American craft and handwork. The three founders are Norfolk residents and include the founders of Bode, the distinctive American clothing and home goods brand with outposts in New York, Los Angeles and Paris. It will remain on the town tax rolls.

The property was sold by The Norfolk Hub, which acquired the Arcanum in 2021 for $950,000 with the help of a gift from the William and Mary Greve Foundation. Much of the proceeds will immediately benefit Norfolk.

Tony Kiser, president of the Greve Foundation, said the generous sale price will enable the Norfolk Hub to support two urgent priorities that need additional capital: affordable housing and the proposed new firehouse. Kiser said the Foundation for Norfolk Living, which had formerly planned to renovate five apartments on the Arcanum’s second floor, will receive a donation of $300,000. Another $500,000 will go toward the capital campaign for Norfolk’s proposed new firehouse, he said.

Meanwhile, the new owners of the Royal Arcanum are beginning to think through detailed plans for the historic structure, designed by Alfredo Taylor and built in 1904. American Folk & Heritage was founded by entrepreneurs Emily Adams Bode Aujla, her husband Aaron Aujla and his brother, Dev Aujla. It has already collaborated with New York’s Metropolitan Museum and Shaker Museum in neighboring Chatham, N.Y.
“We are over the moon,” Aujla said, adding that all three understand the responsibility of owning an historic building with a storied past while bringing vitality to Norfolk. “We are in this for the long haul and are invested in more ways than resources,” he continued.

Aujla said plans are still in formation and may take up to a year before they can be made public. Leases held by the current tenants in the ground floor—the Norfolk Pub, Boyce Nemec Designs, Ruthann Olsson Interior Design and Les Renards & Co. Booksellers—will be honored. Aujla described ongoing conversations with the tenants as “really positive” and engaging. For their part, several business owners declined to comment on their discussions with American Folk & Heritage or their plans.

Aujla is working with Joe Hurst, who also managed the building for the Hub, and walking through every nook and cranny with a flashlight in hand to “understand the DNA of the building.” The first task, he noted, will be to repair three, relatively modest leaks in the building and to assess deferred maintenance. The next major task will be to convert the attic into a temperature and humidity controlled storage space to house the considerable reference collection of vintage and antique textiles and clothing that Bode Aujla uses in developing her designs. For more about Bode Aujla’s work see www.bode.com.

“We always saw ourselves as temporary stewards of downtown Norfolk’s historic centerpiece,” said Michael Selleck, co-president of the Hub, in a statement. “We’re thrilled to have found the ideal owners to shepherd this building through its next phase, while maintaining its architectural integrity.’’

The Hub’s donations connect back to the building’s history. The Royal Arcanum was organized as a membership organization around the idea of providing mutual aid and support to the membership—its principles, reflected in the initials V.M.C. on either side of the entrance, were Virtue, Mercy and Charity. The building itself once housed the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department, whose emblem is set into the brick façade.

Kate Briggs Johnson, president of the Foundation for Norfolk Living, and First Selectman Matt Riiska expressed gratitude for the financial support from the Hub. FNL is building the 10-home Haystack Woods affordable housing community off Old Colony Road and Briggs Johnson said the funds would be used for the development of future projects. For his part, Riiska said the gift will help reduce the burden on Norfolk taxpayers for the cost of the firehouse, saying it reflects the value that the Hub places on supporting emergency services for everyone.

Founded in 2015 by Libby Borden, Pete Anderson and Stephen Melville, the Hub was formerly known as the Norfolk Foundation. As a non-profit, it supports a variety of cultural events in Norfolk that range from Friday Nights on the Green to the upcoming Haystack Book Festival.