The historic Blackstone College for Girls, which was attended by Bea Arthur, and former Virginia United Methodist Assembly Center (VUMAC) property in Blackstone, Virginia has been transformed into a chic, modern-industrial boutique hotel with 100+ rooms and plenty of amenities for local residents and guests to enjoy! What used to be a private, religious school / institute for young women and church assembly center is now The Inn at Blackstone, a place where you can stay overnight, plan a grand event on the picturesque grounds and/or host an intimate affair with friends. Located only minutes away from downtown Blackstone, which is filled with independent shops, local restaurants, museums and prominent nods to the locality’s identity as a proud military community, The Inn at Blackstone is the new premier destination in Blackstone, Virginia!

The redevelopment of this century-old building is a tangible symbol of the community’s interest in honoring its heritage, valuing its character and fostering sense of place. As a champion of preservation-based economic development, the Town of Blackstone recognized that should the historic building continue to sit vacant, it would deteriorate, create blight in the community and become a deterrent for future economic opportunity. No longer suited for its former purpose, something had to be done to prevent that from happening.

In June 2020, the building was purchased by a private entity, Blackstone Hotel Partners, who worked with a Virginia-based developer, Kaylan Hospitality, to develop the property. Even though the owner had secured financing for a significant portion of the project, gap funding was needed to see it through to completion. Demonstrating its support, the Town of Blackstone applied for and received a combination of loan and grant funds from the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission’s (TRRC) Tobacco Region Opportunity Fund (TROF) and a $600,000 Industrial Revitalization Fund (IRF) grant from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to help fill the gap in the budget. While leveraging local and private resources, the latter was crucial to successfully complete the market-driven redevelopment project and create a catalyst for long-term employment opportunities and ongoing physical and economic revitalization in the Town of Blackstone.

If you’re ever in Blackstone or simply passing through the area and need somewhere to stay, grab a room, relax and unwind at The Inn at Blackstone. During your visit, be sure to grab a great photo with the beautiful Doric columns above the arcaded first floor entrance!

Image Credit: The Inn at Blackstone