Constructed in phases between 1904 and 1911, it was a rare example of a Gilded Age hotel built by a woman, Adeline Detroit Wood Atkinson.

Atkinson turned the facility into a popular meeting spot for Richmond-area politicians, and the hotel acted as the headquarters for numerous political campaigns in the early 20th century.

[3] By 1904, Atkinson had enough money to purchase the Saint Claire Hotel, which she demolished to make room for her own establishment.

The Richmond News Leader reported April 29, 1903 that she was "fuming and fretting" because of a high license fee that was to be placed on the hotel.

Miraculously, A picture of the Christ child survived "alone and uninjured" when the demolition of the St. Clare accidentally went awry.

During the 1940s and 50s, it housed the studios of Richmond's top AM radio station, 1140 WRVA, and in 1948, it was joined by co-owned FM 94.5 WRVB (now WRVQ).

From the room, the final five Byrd governors (Battle, Stanley, J. Lindsay Almond, Albertis Harrison and Mills Godwin) ran their successful campaigns.

In the 1970s, the building was the site of the state's tourism marketing efforts including the historic "Virginia Is For Lovers" campaign.