{"nrhp_refnum":"84002344","name":"Merchants and Farmers National Bank Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"123 E. Trade St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Charlotte","county":"Mecklenburg County","state":"NC","lat":35.22669044200006,"lon":-80.84199402199994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-03-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick commercial building at 123 East Trade Street in downtown Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, built in 1871-1872 for the Merchants and Farmers National Bank. It has an Italianate stuccoed front with cast iron trim.","why_significant":"It is described as the oldest surviving commercial building in Charlotte's central business district and retains notable integrity on its upper floors. Its ironwork came from the Mecklenburg Iron Works and is believed to be the oldest surviving locally produced architectural ironwork. The bank was Charlotte's second largest from the 1870s to 1910, and the third floor housed an Odd Fellows lodge hall from 1875 to 1914.","narrative":"Built in 1871-1872 on East Trade Street in Charlotte, this three-story brick building was constructed as the home of the Merchants and Farmers National Bank. It is considered the oldest surviving commercial building in the city's central business district. The stuccoed front is Italianate in style, with a cast iron cornice, quoins and window lintels and sills produced by the Mecklenburg Iron Works, believed to be the oldest surviving example of locally made architectural ironwork. The ground-floor storefront was replaced in the early 1950s, but the upper floors keep original mantels, trim and partitions. The third floor served as an Odd Fellows hall from 1875 to 1914, and mystic lodge symbols remain painted on its walls. The bank was Charlotte's second largest from the 1870s through 1910 and occupied the building until 1921. Its closure came during the 1933 bank holiday. The building matters for its link to the city's postwar growth, its local ironwork and its well-preserved upper stories.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Italianate","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Ground floor altered in the early 1950s; second and third floors described as vacant for many years; the first floor was rented to a shoe store at the time of the nomination.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:49.716754-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/82/7212/47721282/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/84002344.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47721282","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merchants_and_Farmers_National_Bank_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19987087"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/mecklenburg-county/merchants-and-farmers-national-bank-building-84002344/"}