Our Building

Our Building

Construction on the 55,000-square-foot City Produce Exchange building began in 1911. The four-story brick building originally contained well over an acre of floor space.

The Exchange, which housed an ice-making and cold storage plant for the region’s booming commercial egg and poultry industry, was built alongside the Southern and Chesapeake-Western Railway tracks for efficient shipping access.

The City Produce Exchange operated until 1948. In 1949, the rapidly expanding Wetsel Seed Company purchased the building as a facility for cleaning seeds, and for laboratory space where it could test seeds and grains for purity, germination and moisture content.

The majority of the City Produce Exchange building was converted into luxury condominiums in 2006. The Local Chop & Grill House occupies the remainder of the space and honors the history of the building with its connection to community and its commitment to offer LOCALLY produced fruits, vegetables and meat.