109-0008 Old Merchants and Farmers Bank Building

For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF

VLR Listing Date 11/21/1978

NRHP Listing Date 05/07/1979

NRHP Reference Number 79003278

The Old Merchants and Farmers Bank Building, completed in 1902, is a miniature version of the commercial structures that gave turn-of-the-20th-century America’s main streets architectural dignity. Even such a small structure could project a sense of monumentality through the use of a mansard roof and a fancy sheet-metal cornice, in this case manufactured locally by H. T. Klugel and sons. The cornice is a demonstration of how a rich architectural effect could be achieved with minimal cost and effort. The building was used as a bank until 1920 and as a law office until the mid-1940s. It then became the local library for the city of Emporia. In 1978 Greensville County deeded the building to the Greensville Historical Society. Located in the Hicksford Historic District, the building was dedicated as a local history museum in 1994.

Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark

Updated: April 20, 2021