{"nrhp_refnum":"83003306","name":"Planters National Bank","other_names":["Old Planters Bank"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"12th and E. Main Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Richmond (Independent City)","county":"Richmond (city and county)","state":"VA","lat":37.53664827400007,"lon":-77.43349232099996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-02-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A late 19th-century Richardsonian Romanesque bank building at 12th and East Main Streets in downtown Richmond, Virginia, designed by Charles H. Read, Jr., and built in 1893 with dedication in 1894.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is a highly original interpretation of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture and the last remaining example of the style in Richmond's city center. It is believed to be the oldest bank building in the city and one of the best Romanesque Revival works in Virginia. It also represents the work of Read, a prolific native Virginia architect.","narrative":"Planters National Bank occupies the corner of 12th and East Main Streets in downtown Richmond. Architect Charles H. Read, Jr., designed the building in 1893, and it was dedicated in 1894 at a cost of about $100,000. Its lower stories are rusticated Seneca brownstone, with off-white pressed brick above, semicircular arches throughout, a stone-arched entrance, gabled roofs and decorative finials. Read's design is more ornamental than the restrained work of H.H. Richardson, and the nomination compares it to the exuberance of Frank Furness. The bank grew from the Civil War-era reorganization of the Farmers Bank of Virginia and merged into State Planters Bank in 1926. The Commonwealth of Virginia bought the building in 1930, and state agencies used it for decades. A 1919 annex wraps the east and rear sides. The nomination calls it the sole remaining Richardsonian Romanesque building in downtown Richmond. It was vacant and deteriorating when the nomination was prepared.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Charles H. Read, Jr.","architectural_style":"Richardsonian Romanesque","criteria":[],"status_note":"Vacant since April 1981 and described as in growing deterioration; the state-owned building was previously used by state agencies.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.793105-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/53/6829/41682953/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/83003306.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83003306/a0bae35fd6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83003306/a0bae35fd6-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Crazyale","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Planters_National_Bank.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Crazyale</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:Planters_National_Bank.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"71000982","name":"James River and Kanawha Canal Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/james-river-and-kanawha-canal-historic-district-71000982/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41682953","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planters_National_Bank","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16898521"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/richmond/planters-national-bank-83003306/"}