The NorVa has anchored downtown Norfolk’s live music scene since reopening as a concert venue in 2000, but the building itself dates back much further. Constructed in 1922 as a 2,000-seat movie and vaudeville house, it spent decades showing films and even served as a downtown athletic club before a renovation brought it back to life as one of Virginia’s most respected concert halls.
James Brown christened the reborn NorVa with the inaugural concert on April 28, 2000, setting the tone for a venue that has since hosted acts across nearly every genre. With a standing-and-balcony capacity of about 1,450, the room offers an intimate scale that larger arenas can’t match, and it’s earned a reputation as one of the best places in the country to see a show up close.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: 317 Monticello Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia
- Type: Concert hall (former vaudeville/movie theater)
- Opened: 1922 (reopened as a concert venue in 2000)
- Capacity: About 1,450
- Owner/Operator: AEG Presents (since 2014)
- Famous for: Ranked among Rolling Stone’s top live music venues in the U.S.
From Vaudeville House to Concert Hall
The building opened its doors in November 1922 as a grand movie and vaudeville theater, complete with a pipe organ for silent films and live stage acts. It kept showing movies into the 1970s before the space changed hands and purpose, operating as a downtown athletic club through the 1980s and ’90s.
A major renovation restored the original theater’s bones while modernizing it for modern touring acts, and the venue reopened under the name The NorVa in 2000. The name itself is a simple mashup of Norfolk, Virginia.
A Favorite Stop on the Touring Circuit
Since reopening, The NorVa has built a reputation with artists and fans alike for its tight sightlines, strong acoustics, and general-admission energy that larger venues can’t replicate. That reputation helped it land recognition from Rolling Stone as one of the country’s top live music rooms.
AEG Presents has operated the venue since 2014, continuing to book a steady run of national touring acts alongside smaller local and regional shows, keeping the century-old building a working part of Norfolk’s downtown nightlife.
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The NorVa FAQs
How old is The NorVa building?
The building opened in November 1922 as a movie and vaudeville theater, making it over a century old, though it didn’t become a concert venue under the NorVa name until 2000.
What is The NorVa’s capacity?
The NorVa holds about 1,450 people, giving it a fairly intimate scale compared to arena-sized concert venues.
Who played the first show when The NorVa reopened?
James Brown performed the inaugural concert when the venue reopened as The NorVa on April 28, 2000.
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Photo: Boweryal / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.