This splendid Greek Revival building was completed in 1841 to house the Exchange, the city of Petersburg’s commodities auction house. Records show that the construction was supervised by a “Mr. Berrien” of New York, probably James Berrien, a New York architect. Calvin Pollard corresponded with Berrien on the project, hence it is speculated that Pollard may have been involved with the design, as he was architect for the Petersburg Courthouse and the first St. Paul’s Church. As originally constructed, the Exchange stood on an open ground floor where the products were displayed and traded. Auctions and public meetings took place in the domed hall above. The building was converted into a police court in this century, and the ground level was closed in. Restored by the city in the mid-1970s, it is now The Siege Museum, a museum interpreting Petersburg’s Civil War years and located in Petersburg’s Old Town Historic District.
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
Copyright © 2023. All Rights Reserved | Website by CURE