Exchange Building
Also known as: Merchant's Exchange Building; The Exchange
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Why it's listed
Built by 1841 at 15-19 W. Bank Street in Petersburg, the Exchange Building is a freely rendered Greek Revival structure with a finely executed Doric portico. It rises two stories above a high basement, with second-floor windows set into the frieze of the entablature. The entrance facade has five bays, though the portico shelters only the central three. A hipped roof carries a large shallow dome with a lantern. Inside, a circular domed room sits at the center, its dome resting on an entablature carried by piers, with a gallery behind them and a simple iron railing. The building came out of a push by local businessmen, including tobacco manufacturer David Dunlop, who incorporated the Petersburg Exchange in 1839 to display tobacco and cotton and to hold auctions and sales. A Mr. Berrien of New York supplied the design. It later served as a bank and then a police court, yet the interior survived without serious alteration. It is valued as a rare monumental Greek Revival commercial building.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it a fine model of the monumental Greek Revival commercial buildings that have become rare. It is also presented as an example of the civic pride of the ante-bellum period. It was built for local businessmen to display tobacco and cotton and to hold auctions and sales.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 69000322, listed June 11, 1969. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 15-19 W. Bank St., Petersburg (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Petersburg |
| Listed | June 11, 1969 |
| Reference number | 69000322 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1841 |
| Architect / builder | Design supplied by a Mr. Berrien of New York |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| National Historic Landmark | Yes, designated November 11, 1971 |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by the City of Petersburg; used by the Domestic Relations and Police Court departments. Condition marked fair, with the interior surviving without serious alteration. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Within district | Petersburg Old Town Historic District (Additional Documentation) |
| Coordinates | 37.23205, -77.40541 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 69000322.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5419562
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.