Bill Text: VA SJR287 | 2017 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending the National Bank of Fredericksburg.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2017-01-27 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ287ER) [SJR287 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2017-SJR287-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, the National Bank of Fredericksburg, a historic building in downtown Fredericksburg that has played an integral role in city life for nearly 200 years, underwent a historically sensitive renovation in 2016; and
WHEREAS, located at 900 Princess Anne Street, the National Bank of Fredericksburg, a Flemish bond brick building in the Federal style designed by Robert and George Ellis, was completed in 1820; and
WHEREAS, originally known as the Farmers Bank of Fredericksburg, the two-and-a-half story building was designed as both a bank and a home for the bank's cashiers and their families and remained an important financial hub for nearly 160 years; and
WHEREAS, the National Bank of Fredericksburg, the boyhood home of William Lewis Herndon who was commissioned to explore the Amazon River for the United States in the 1850s, was the headquarters of the Union command during the occupation of Fredericksburg in the Civil War; and
WHEREAS, the National Bank of Fredericksburg was the site of speeches by both Confederate President Jefferson Davis and United States President Abraham Lincoln, making it possibly the only confirmed site where both men made official visits; and
WHEREAS, the extensive renovation of the National Bank of Fredericksburg entailed the removal of the George Street steps for preservation, the repairs to the Princess Anne Street steps, the repairs to brickwork, stairs, and pediment windows, the painting, and the extensive detailed millwork; and
WHEREAS, the National Bank of Fredericksburg is now home to a popular local farm-to-table restaurant, Foode, featuring seating inside the former bank vault, and office space for Jon Properties real estate development firm on the second floor; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the National Bank of Fredericksburg on the occasion of its renovation in 2016; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the mayor of the City of Fredericksburg as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for the historical significance of the National Bank of Fredericksburg.
