Exchange Building (Petersburg, Virginia)

Exchange

Exchange Building
Location 15-19 W. Bank St., Petersburg, Virginia
Coordinates 37°13′55″N 77°24′16″W / 37.23194°N 77.40444°W / 37.23194; -77.40444Coordinates: 37°13′55″N 77°24′16″W / 37.23194°N 77.40444°W / 37.23194; -77.40444
Built 1841
Architect Unknown
Architectural style Greek Revival
Part of Petersburg Old Town Historic District (#80004314)
NRHP Reference # 69000322
VLR # 123-0051
Significant dates
Added to NRHP June 11, 1969[1]
Designated NHL November 11, 1971[2]
Designated CP July 04, 1980
Designated VLR November 5, 1968[3]

The Exchange Building, also known as the Merchant's Exchange Building or The Exchange, is a historic commercial building in at 15-19 West Bank Street in Petersburg, Virginia. Built in 1841, this Greek Revival style building is one of the least-altered examples of a 19th-century market hall. It now houses the Siege Museum commemorating the Siege of Petersburg. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1971.[2]

Description and history

The Exchange Building is located in Petersburg's Old Town, at the northeast corner of West Bank Street and Exchange Avenue. It is a two-story, five bay by five bay, building with a hipped roof. It features a four-column Doric order portico in front, and five pilastered bays on the sides. At the building's center is a large circular domed room, the dome supported by piers and an entablature.[4]

The Exchange was created in 1839 by a group of Petersburg businessmen as a meeting place where locally produced wares, predominantly tobacco and cotton, could be sold, and as a place to hold public auctions. The building was designed by an architect named Berrien from New York City, and was completed in 1841. It is a locally rare example of high-style Greek Revival architecture, and is one of the nation's least-altered examples of a market building.[4] It now houses the Siege Museum, which displays artifacts and history relating to the American Civil War Siege of Petersburg.

See also

References

  1. ↑ National Park Service (2007-01-23). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 "Exchange". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2008-04-08.
  3. ↑ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  4. 1 2 Staff, Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission, James W. Moody, Jr., director (April 21, 1969). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Exchange Building / Merchant's Exchange Building; The Exchange" (pdf). National Park Service. and Accompanying five photos, exterior and interior, from 1968 and undated (32 KB)

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