{"nrhp_refnum":"80004307","name":"Old Dominion Bank Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"201 Prince St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Alexandria (Independent City)","county":"Alexandria","state":"VA","lat":38.80347229000006,"lon":-77.04184577499996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-03-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Military","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Greek Revival temple-form brick and stucco building at 201 Prince Street in Alexandria, Virginia, built in 1851-1852 for the Bank of the Old Dominion and later known as the Athenaeum.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is a fine, unaltered example of Greek Revival (Classic Revival) architecture, one of only two in Alexandria, and a rare architecturally distinguished antebellum commercial building. It also ties to Alexandria's banking and port history, including the Civil War period, when the bank closed and the building became part of Union war activity.","narrative":"Built in 1851-1852 at the corner of Prince and Lee (formerly Water) Streets in Alexandria, this temple-form Greek Revival building was constructed for the Bank of the Old Dominion. Its tetrastyle portico of unfluted Doric columns is severe in character, and the stucco is scored to resemble stone blocks. Inside is one large, well-proportioned room with a coved ceiling. The bricklayer was E. Francis and the carpenter was B. H. Jenkins. The bank, incorporated in 1851, financed local businesses and closed in 1862 after Union forces occupied the city; its cashier is said to have kept it solvent by burying its assets. The building then supported Union wartime activity along the waterfront. It later housed the Leadbeater wholesale drug business from 1907 to 1925 and a Free Methodist church. Since 1964 it has served as an arts center. It was listed as one of only two Classic Revival buildings in Alexandria and a rare antebellum commercial building of distinction.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"E. Francis - bricklayer; B.H. Jenkins - carpenter","architectural_style":"Greek Revival (Classic Revival), temple form with Doric tetrastyle portico","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as unaltered and in good condition; occupied and used by the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association as the Athenaeum arts center.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:56.754023-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/28/6794/41679428/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/80004307.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80004307/ce50010c7b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80004307/ce50010c7b-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"AgnosticPreachersKid at en.wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Athenaeum_-_Old_Town_Alexandria,_Virginia.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">AgnosticPreachersKid at en.wikipedia</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:Athenaeum_-_Old_Town_Alexandria,_Virginia.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"66000928","name":"Alexandria Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/alexandria-historic-district-66000928/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41679428","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athenaeum_(Alexandria,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4813393"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/alexandria/old-dominion-bank-building-80004307/"}