Virginia Union is ideally situated in Richmond, the capital of Virginia, a city of great historical interest. The University campus covers 84 acres on the north side of the city. Five older buildings are of Virginia granite and have been designated national historic landmarks. The more recent buildings are of brick and Belgian.

• Baptist Memorial Hall which was originally the residence of Dean George Rice Hovey; and the subsequent residence of four University presidents. It is now the location of Sponsored Programs and Upward Bound.
• The Belgian Friendship Building, a gift of the Belgian Government, houses the gymnasium-auditorium (named Barco-Stevens Hall in memory of two veteran teachers: Dr. John W. Barco and Professor Wesley A. Stevens), Vann Tower (named after Robert L. Vann, an alumnus and founder of the Pittsburgh Courier), and the William J. Clark Hall. The facility was an exhibit in the 1939 New York World's Fair. It was reconstructed on the campus in 1941.
• William J. Clark Hall, named in honor of the third president of the University, is located in the south wing of the Belgian Friendship Building. This wing is at the base of the Vann Memorial Tower, which can be viewed from many parts of the city and bears distinction as a Virginia Historical Landmark.
• Abner Coburn Hall is named after Maine governor Abner Coburn, it held the original chapel and the Library collection. Many legendary pastors, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr. Benjamin Mays; Dr. Adam Clayton Powell, Sr.; Dr. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. and Dr. Ralph Abernathy, have preached at Coburn Chapel; and internationally-renowned scholars like Dr. W.E.B. Dubois have delivered lectures there. It burned in 1970 and, now restored, houses the Dr. Allix B. James Chapel.
• Community Annex is the former Richmond Community Hospital, given to the University for use as a dormitory.
• John M. Ellison Hall, named in honor of a former chancellor and the fourth president of the University, is an academic building. It provides space for the Offices of Admissions, and the Registrar, has a spacious auditorium (Wall), ample classrooms and laboratory space for the various disciplines.
• Martin E. Gray Hall is named after a church deacon from Willoughby, Ohio who donated $25,000 towards its construction. It was the original dining hall and, though also damaged by fire in 1993, has been totally repaired and houses the School of Teacher Education & Interdisciplinary studies and the Division of the Social Sciences.
• Hartshorn Hall is a dormitory that was named for Hartshorn Memorial College. Hartshorn, founded by the Reverend J. C. Hartshorn of Providence, Rhode Island, in memory of his wife, was a women's college that became the University's Women's College in 1923.
• Thomas H. Henderson Center, named in honor of the sixth president of the University, provides space for the Offices of Student Affairs and Career Planning and Placement, Student Development and Counseling Center, dining hall, health center, bookstore, post office, and student activities.
• Hovey Field, the University's athletic field, seats over 10,000. It is named in honor of the University's second president, Dr. George Rice Hovey.
• Huntley Hall is named in honor of former trustee Lyman Huntley, his wife, and their children : Bryon and Frances New York City. The building was dedicated November 27, 1913, as dormitory and teachers' residence.
• C. D. King Hall at Leigh and Lombardy Streets, one block south of the main campus, was a gift from the the British American Tobacco Corporation. The building is named for an alumnus of the Class of 1917, and houses the University's Offices of Financial Affairs, Development, and Public Relations.
• Kingsley Hall is named for Chester Kingsley, past president of the ABHMS, and the original dormitory. It is now the site of the Samuel Dewitt Proctor School of Theology.
• MacVicar Hall is a dormitory named after the University's first president, the Revend Dr. Malcolm MacVicar. Dr. MacVicar died on May 18, 1904, after serving as president for five years. He was a native of Argleshire, Scotland, and served as Superintendent of Education of the American Baptist Home Mission Society.
• Ora Johnson Newman Hall is a dormitory named in honor of an outstanding alumna and educator in the Richmond Public Schools.
• Pickford Hall was named after former trustee board member C. J. Pickford and which served as the original classroom building. Later the basement would contain the “Old Pie Shop”, the first student “hangout” on campus. Pickford Hall currently houses the Presidential executive offices, the Campus Police, the Sydney Lewis School of Business, and the Office of Academic Affairs.