A building that has drawn religious worshippers to downtown Norfolk, Virginia, for most of the past 120 years will continue to do so after its sale to the FavorNation Church in November.
The $1.2 million deal is expected to bring new life to the 11,500-square-foot building at 739 Yarmouth St. after it had not hosted church services since another congregation sold the property in 2018. The building was sold by a charitable trust affiliated with the building's existing tenant, The Hague School, which plans to continue to share the building with the new owner.
The sale is notable for the building’s prominent location across the street from the Chrysler Museum of Art and a 14-minute walk from Norfolk’s busiest shopping area, a downtown shopping mall named MacArthur Center. A panel of real estate professionals familiar with the market selected the sale of 739 Yarmouth St. as the winner of the 2025 CoStar Impact Award for sale of the year for Hampton Roads.
This is the first permanent home for the FavorNation Church, a non-denominational church founded by Rev. Adrian Woodard in 2014 that has rented various locations in the Hampton Roads region before opting to purchase this church in Norfolk. The private Hague School has provided classes for students in grades 9 to 12 in the building in recent years and will continue as the church’s tenant.
Downtown Norfolk has suffered in recent years as a number of national retail chains have left MacArthur Center. According to the city government's website, the city-owned facility is currently 56% occupied.
About the deal: The Gothic Revival church building was constructed in 1903 by Finley Forbes Ferguson, who later helped design the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, the state capital.
What the judges said: "The uncertainty surrounding the MacArthur Center is having an impact on downtown. Norfolk. This acquisition has the potential to offset some of that uncertainty and continue the revitalization of the downtown area," said Simon Stevenson, who teaches real estate and economic development at Old Dominion University.
They made it happen: Rick Gregor, associate broker for Mid Atlantic Commercial in Norfolk, worked on the sale with Wesley Jones, Realtor at Next Home Coastal Luxury Realty.
CoStar Market Manager Christian Taylor contributed to this report.