Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 01/18/1972
NRHP Listing Date 04/13/1972
DHR's Virginia Board of Historic Resources easement
NRHP Reference Number 72001515
The Farmers’ Bank of Virginia, incorporated in 1812, opened its Petersburg branch that same year. The bank completed the present three-story Federal-style structure to replace its earlier office destroyed by fire in 1815. As was customary, well-appointed living quarters were provided on the upper floors for the bank’s executive officer. These rooms preserve their intricately decorated mantels and doorways, features typical of Petersburg’s finer Federal-style structures. The banking area on the first floor retains its original vault. The branch continued in operation through the Civil War but was forced to liquidate its assets in 1866 by an act of the General Assembly that affected all state banks. The building then passed through numerous owners and served various functions until the 1960s when it was conveyed to the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (now Preservation Virginia) and subsequently restored as a banking museum. The Farmer’s Bank contributes to the Petersburg Old Town Historic District.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: June 27, 2022
