The Colonial National Bank was erected in 1926-27, and was an important element of the development of the city of Roanoke as a banking hub of Southwest Virginia. Twelve stories high, with granite ashlar on the first three stories and gray-enamel brick and terra-cotta decoration above, the steel-frame building was designed by the local firm of Frye and Stone. With its lean ornamentation and functional aspect, it represents the transition from the Neoclassical style to modernism. Downtown Roanoke‘s tallest building for fifty years, the Colonial National was one of Virginia’s first skyscrapers. The bank’s successor sold the building in 1981 but continued to occupy the banking hall. The upper floors were remodeled for office rental, and late in the 20th century the edifice was renamed the Colonial Arms Building.
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