{"nrhp_refnum":"79003290","name":"Central National Bank","other_names":["Cnb"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"3rd and Broad Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Richmond (Independent City)","county":"Richmond (city and county)","state":"VA","lat":37.543816641000035,"lon":-77.43983694199994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-09-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A twenty-four-story brick and limestone-faced, steel-frame Art Deco skyscraper at Third and Broad Streets in Richmond, Virginia, built in 1929-30 for Central National Bank, with an adjoining three-story arcade building.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it an outstanding example of an Art Deco skyscraper as interpreted in the South, designed by New York architect John Eberson. It is also tied to Richmond merchants who founded the bank in 1911 to serve the Broad Street retail district. A recent renovation preserved its original architectural character.","narrative":"Rising twenty-four stories at the corner of Broad and Third Streets in Richmond, this brick and limestone-faced steel-frame tower was built in 1929-30 as the home of Central National Bank. Designed by New York architect John Eberson with the Richmond firm Carneal, Johnston, and Wright, it is an Art Deco skyscraper with a two-story arched entrance, carved low-relief ornament, and bands of molded and patterned brick. A smaller limestone-faced building alongside, originally the Broad-Grace Arcade of shops, was designed by the same architect and later absorbed into the bank. Inside, the commercial banking hall has a coffered ceiling, terrazzo floor, and cast bronze lamps, while the elevator lobby features bronze and etched glass. The bank was founded in 1911 by Broad Street merchants who wanted a financial institution serving the retail district. Construction continued through the Depression, and a recent restoration kept the building's original character, making it a landmark of Richmond's pre-Depression business prosperity.","period_of_significance":"1928-30","architect_builder":"John Eberson (architect), with Richmond firm Carneal, Johnston, and Wright; Doyle and Russell (contractors)","architectural_style":"Art Deco","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and used as a bank; the interior is described as in an excellent state of preservation after a recent restoration. Former arcade shops have been converted to banking space.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.802782-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/29/6829/41682929/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/79003290.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79003290/e24457f31c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79003290/e24457f31c-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Morgan Riley, Midlothian, Virginia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Central_National_Bank,_Richmond,_Virginia_June04.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Morgan Riley, Midlothian, Virginia</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Central_National_Bank,_Richmond,_Virginia_June04.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"09000924","name":"Grace Street Commercial Historic District (Boundary Increase)","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/grace-street-commercial-historic-district-boundary-increase-09000924/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41682929","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_National_Bank_(Richmond,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5061482"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/richmond/central-national-bank-79003290/"}