Norfolk’s Village Hall provided a variety of entertainment for townspeople at the turn of the 20 th
century, as this 1906 photograph of the Arcanum Minstrels illustrates. At that time professional
minstrel shows were on the wane, having been replaced by vaudeville, although amateur troupes
such as this one continued to make use of blackface humor and racial stereotypes, albeit with an
air of refinement appropriate to the venue in which they performed. Village Hall had been built in
1883 to a distinctive design with patterned shingle work and corner tower. Housing a variety of
businesses on the first floor and the ”opera house” upstairs, it opened on July 30, 1884 with a
performance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore. As with many historic buildings which no
longer serve modern functions, the hall eventually fell into disuse, and by the 1990’s the entire
structure was at risk, its corner tower no longer standing. The magnificent restoration of the
building, newly christened Infinity Hall, has preserved the fabric of the street front in Norfolk's
historic district and a performance space of unique historical character.