  We have established an internally consistent Local Group distance framework,
using the Galactic Center, the Large Magellanic Cloud, and Messier 31 (M31) as
important stepping stones. At greater distances, few distance benchmarks are
available. As a consequence, M87 and/or Virgo cluster distances are often
invoked as the next rung on the ladder to more distant objects such as the
Fornax and Coma clusters. Therefore, we extensively mined the published
literature for independently derived distance estimates to either M87 or the
center of the Virgo cluster. Based on our newly compiled, comprehensive
database of 213 such distances, published between 1929 and 2017 July, we
recommend an outward extension to our distance framework, $(m-M)_0^{\rm M87} =
31.03 \pm 0.14$ mag ($D = 16.07 \pm 1.03$ Mpc; where the uncertainty represents
the Gaussian $\sigma$ of the distribution), based on a subset of recent
(post-1990) M87/Virgo cluster distance measurements. The most stable distance
tracers employed here were derived from analysis of both primary and secondary
distance indicators. Among the former, we preferentially rely on Cepheid
period--luminosity relations and red-giant-branch terminal magnitudes; our
preferred secondary distance tracers are surface brightness fluctuations. Our
updated distance modulus to M87 implies a slightly reduced black hole mass of
$(5.9 \pm 0.6) \times 10^9 M_\odot$ with respect to that determined by the
Event Horizon Telescope collaboration.
