For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 02/16/1982
NRHP Listing Date 06/14/1982
NRHP Reference Number 82004591
Roanoke’s former First National Bank, erected in 1901, is the work of architect J. Kevan Peebles of Norfolk. Combining the most modern concepts of bank and office design with Renaissance detailing, the building demonstrates Peebles’s practical training as an engineer as well as his mastery of the repertoire of revivalist styles. The First National Bank occupied the building until 1926 when it was sold to the Liberty Trust Company. In 1953 it was purchased by the People’s Federal Savings and Loan Company, and in 1981 the building was bought by MFW Associates, who renovated it for office use, preserving the columned banking hall. Although no longer serving its original function, the building remains one of the state’s best-preserved Progressive-era bank buildings and is a reminder Roanoke’s historic position as a banking center. The First National Bank building contributes to the Roanoke Downtown 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: July 7, 2021