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.