The following is an extended version of the piece that appears in the Summer/Fall 2019 issue of Richmond Bride magazine, heading to newsstands soon.
A wedding at the newly renovated ACCA Shrine Center (Photo courtesy ACCA Shriners)
When the Acca Shriners come up, most people probably think of the distinctive red fez hats worn by members or the tiny red cars they drive during parades. However, the primary mission of the Shriners is to support the Shriners Hospitals for Children, which provide orthopedic care, burn care and other special health-care needs to children, regardless of their families’ ability to pay. The Acca Shriners also provide transportation to and from hospital appointments and raise funds for hotel rooms when needed.
To better support the network of 22 Shriners Hospitals, a long-overdue renovation to the ACCA Shrine Center at 1712 Bellevue Ave. is allowing for more rentals, with fees supporting facility maintenance so that money raised from fundraising events can be focused solely on benefiting the Shriners Hospitals, says Shannon Dotson, office manager and rental coordinator.
“It’s a big deal for our donation and fundraiser events to be able to go to that as much as possible,” Dotson says. She also notes the importance of facility maintenance: “Of course, if we don’t have the building, then we don’t have the Shriners,” along with the services the organization provides.
Elements of the $250,000 renovation included new paint, carpeting and flooring throughout the facility. All of the furniture in the halls is brand-new, and all of the lighting has been switched to LED. A dressing room adjoining the public ladies restroom was overhauled, with two mirrored stations for brides and their bridesmaids to get ready. A new audiovisual system was installed in the ballroom, and asbestos tile was professionally removed, making the building now 100 percent asbestos-free.
The renovation has made the facility more conducive to events, with plans to open the facility more to public rentals.
Renovations were mostly completed in January, with a few final touches being completed in May, including new meeting rooms, the removal of old storage and the planting of new trees in the courtyard to create a greenery wall that should make it a more inviting space for outdoor ceremonies. New azalea bushes were also planted, and there are plans to add an archway to the courtyard at some point. New curtains are also being installed in the ballroom, to be used to cover up the murals depicting Shriners-related images should the couple choose. “We’ve had decorators cover them up with decorations or an archway to block them,” Dotson says. “With these new curtains, there will already be something there for couples to use.”
For weddings, there are dressing rooms available for both grooms and brides; a full commercial-grade kitchen with refrigerator, chest freezer and industrial ice maker; two mobile bars; and a common area that can be reserved as a backup ceremony site during inclement weather for couples who opt for a courtyard ceremony. There’s also a large walk-in coat closet, which, for an additional fee, can be staffed by the Ladies of the Shrine, with that money benefiting the Shriners Hospitals. And of course, the coup de grace is the 17,700-square-foot ballroom, complete with a stage, an elevated seating area and a disco ball. Richard “Doc” Redman, recorder for the Acca Shriners, says through email, “We have about the largest non-hotel ballroom in town.”
Couples who are interested in renting the ACCA Shrine Center should contact Dotson at 804-264-0509 or businessoffice@accashriners.com. She says she is available to address any needs that may arise as the wedding date approaches: “We try to work as much as we can with brides and grooms to make their day as memorable as possible.”
