Built 1841 VLR # 123-0051 Opened 1841 Added to NRHP 11 June 1969 | NRHP Reference # 69000322 Designated NHL November 11, 1971 Area 1,214 m² | |
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Similar Farmers' Bank, Siege Museum, Blandford Cemetery, Poplar Grove National | ||
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.
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.
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. It now houses the Siege Museum, which displays artifacts and history relating to the American Civil War Siege of Petersburg.