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About The Slover

Since its opening in 2015, the Slover has been a destination for the Hampton Roads region, and a major attraction to the core of downtown Norfolk, Virginia.  Placed in good company with other rival venues like Nauticus, the Chrysler Museum and MacArthur Memorial, The Slover offers an array of elegant spaces for weddings and other distinguished educational programs and events.  It has positioned itself as a local resource for aspiring entrepreneurs and seasoned business owners. 

The Slover has four main components: Slover Services, which consists of the Roy E. Hendrix Business Center, Venue Rentals, and the Creative Studios (Maker, Design, Production and Sound). The fourth component is the Downtown Branch at Slover, a Norfolk Public Library location.

When exploring The Slover, you’ll experience three centuries of stunning architecture within its 138,000 square feet of combined space. This includes the renovated historic Seaboard building from the 1800s and a modern six-story addition. These structures are connected by a three-story glass atrium and tower featuring custom ornamentation by sculptor/architect Kent Bloomer. The first-floor corridor provides direct access to the Selden Market (1900s) and connects to Hilton Norfolk The Main.

Col. Samuel Slover ImageHistory of Slover

In 2008, Frank Batten Sr., former CEO and chairman of Landmark Communications, donated $20 million for construction of a new main library to be named after his uncle and former Norfolk Mayor, Col. Samuel Slover. Mr. Batten’s wish was for the new library to be one of the most high-tech libraries in Virginia. Following Mr. Batten’s death, the Batten Foundation added an additional $20 million to the project. The City of Norfolk committed $22.6 million, and the remainder was collected from private contributions through the Slover Library Foundation.

These gifts are made with the intention that the memory of Col. Slover will be preserved perpetually and serve as a reminder of his many contributions to the city of Norfolk. He loved Norfolk and believed that an informed citizenry was vitally important to its success. The Colonel eventually founded the media company that later became Landmark Communications.

In 1954, at the age of 27, Batten assumed leadership of The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star newspapers. With strategic acquisitions and key investments, Batten developed Landmark Communications into one of the nation’s largest and most influential media companies.