Shockoe Slip in Richmond, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Bowers Brothers Coffee and Tea Building
104 Shockoe Slip
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, March 5, 2011
1. Bowers Brothers Coffee and Tea Building Marker
Inscription.
Bowers Brothers Coffee and Tea Building. 104 Shockoe Slip. Richmond’s flour, milled here in Shockoe Slip, was known all over the world for its high quality. On their return from delivering flour and the popular Virginia tobacco, ships were laden with coffee, tea, and exotic spices, which were then sold by commission merchants here in the Slip. The Bowers Brothers Building takes its name from a coffee and tea processing and brokerage firm that occupied it from 1912 until 1956. This straightforward commercial structure, which usually housed leaf tobacco dealers and manufacturers of fertilizer, is also interesting because of its own evolution. After the 1865 Evacuation Fire destroyed an earlier structure, the first three floors of the current building were erected in 1870. The top two floors were added in the early twentieth century, attesting to the commercial vitality of this neighborhood at that time. Adapted for present-day use, the building now contains apartments and retail stores on the ground floor.
Richmond’s flour, milled here in Shockoe Slip, was known all over the world for its high quality. On their return from delivering flour and the popular Virginia tobacco, ships were laden with coffee, tea, and exotic spices, which were then sold by commission merchants here in the Slip. The Bowers Brothers Building takes its name from a coffee and tea processing and brokerage firm that occupied it from 1912 until 1956. This straightforward commercial structure, which usually housed leaf tobacco dealers and manufacturers of fertilizer, is also interesting because of its own evolution. After the 1865 Evacuation Fire destroyed an earlier structure, the first three floors of the current building were erected in 1870. The top two floors were added in the early twentieth century, attesting to the commercial vitality of this neighborhood at that time. Adapted for present-day use, the building now contains apartments and retail stores on the ground floor.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1912.
Location. 37° 32.103′ N, 77° 26.046′ W. Marker is in Richmond, Virginia. It is in Shockoe Slip. Marker is on Shockoe Slip south of East Cary Street (Virginia Route 147), on the right when traveling south. Marker is on the northeast
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corner of the building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 104 Shockoe Slip, Richmond VA 23219, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Charles S. Morgan donated this fountain in 1905 to provide water for the horses that once traversed the Shockoe Slip area.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, March 5, 2011
4. Shockoe Slip Fountain
Capt. Charles S. Morgan, C.S.A.
Inspector Gen’l Imboden’s Brigade, Cavalry Division
of Gen’l L.L. Lomax, Army of Northern Virginia
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 5, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,203 times since then and 116 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 5, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.
