The Royal Arcanum Building in Norfolk. The Royal Arcanum was one of the many, many fraternal societies in the U.S. during the late 1800s and early 1900s. This building was constructed in 1904.
The building is spectacularly odd. The doors on the right housed the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department -- the terracotta plaque visible in the ivy incorporates the letters NVFD.
On each side of the main entrance were terracotta plaques with the letters MVC -- for the Arcanum's motto: "Mercy, Virtue, Charity."
