Erected in 1909 as the Virginia Bank and Trust Company headquarters, this “Temple of Finance” is one of Virginia’s foremost works of the American Renaissance tradition. The monumentality of these solid and often huge edifices displayed commercial strength and reassured clients of their soundness. This downtown Norfolk work was designed by two firms: Wyatt and Nolting of Baltimore, the principals, and Taylor and Hepburn of Norfolk. With its grandiose scale and giant order, the general form follows McKim, Mead and White’s design for the Knickerbocker Trust and Safe Deposit Company in New York, a work that inspired many bank designs. The building still maintains a powerful presence amid its modern high-rise neighbors. Known as the Auslew Gallery from 1982 to 1992, the Virginia Bank and Trust building was then renovated to house the Virginia Club.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
DHR has registered more than 3,317 individual resources and 613 historic districts
DHR has engaged over 450 students in 3 highway marker contests
DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia