{"nrhp_refnum":"99001005","name":"Professional Building","other_names":["American Bank and Trust Company","DHR File No. 133-5032"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"100 N. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Suffolk (Independent City)","county":"Suffolk","state":"VA","lat":36.72810258700008,"lon":-76.58303252299999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1999-08-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Commerce"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A seven-story, steel-frame Colonial Revival skyscraper at 100 North Main Street in downtown Suffolk, Virginia, built 1916-1919 as the American Bank and Trust Company building and designed by architect John Kevan Peebles.","why_significant":"It was one of the first two multi-story office buildings in downtown Suffolk, and one of only three completed there. It reflects the early 20th-century trend of banks building towers as status symbols, qualifying under Criterion A. It also shows early fireproof skyscraper construction using Pyrobar gypsum fireproofing over a steel frame, qualifying under Criterion C.","narrative":"Rising seven stories at the corner of North Main and East Washington Streets, this Colonial Revival tower was built between 1916 and 1919 for the American Bank and Trust Company. Norfolk architect John Kevan Peebles designed it, and Harwood and Moss built it. A steel frame protected by Pyrobar gypsum fireproofing and poured concrete floors made it an early example of fire-resistant construction. Brick veneer, a stone cornice and a metal roof cornice mark the exterior, while the interior includes a marble-trimmed vestibule, a mail chute, and a two-story banking hall with Tuscan columns and a coffered ceiling. It was one of the first two office towers in downtown Suffolk, built less for lack of space than for the prestige tall buildings carried in American cities. The bank left in 1962, and the building became the Professional Building, housing local professionals until 1993. It has been vacant since then, and is considered a focus of downtown renewal.","period_of_significance":"1916-1919","architect_builder":"John Kevan Peebles, architect; Harwood and Moss, builders","architectural_style":"Late 19th & 20th Century Revivals: Colonial Revival; Late 19th & Early 20th Century American Movements: Skyscraper","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Vacant since 1993 but described as retaining a high level of architectural integrity and in good condition.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:59.760005-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/59/6838/41683859/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/99001005.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99001005/067f01af00-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99001005/067f01af00-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Capt1922","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Professional_Building_Suffolk_VA_21Sep2014.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Capt1922</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:Professional_Building_Suffolk_VA_21Sep2014.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"02000976","name":"Suffolk Historic District (Boundary Increase II)","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/suffolk-historic-district-boundary-increase-ii-02000976/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41683859","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_Building_(Suffolk,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16898834"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/suffolk/professional-building-99001005/"}