Sonner Hall is the architectural focal point for Randolph-Macon Academy, a co-educational preparatory school founded in 1892. Topped by a dome and fronted by a portico articulating a lengthy facade, the Georgian Revival structure is also a visually prominent landmark for the town of Front Royal in Warren County. Randolph-Macon began as a preparatory school of the former Randolph-Macon system of colleges and academies. The system was established by the Methodist Church in 1890, and at one time embraced three preparatory schools and two colleges. The Front Royal school has offered military training since 1917. Sonner Hall was designed by Stanhope S. Johnson of Lynchburg as a multi-purpose structure, originally providing faculty and student housing, classrooms, administration offices, dining room, and library. Although it remains affiliated with the United Methodist Church, Randolph-Macon is now operated as an independent entity.