Join Midtown Magazine’s Lifestyle Editor and travel writer Dathan Kazsuk as he explores destinations beyond Raleigh and the Triangle. From boutique hotels and restaurants to hidden gems and unforgettable experiences, Out of Town shares firsthand discoveries and travel inspiration from across North Carolina and beyond.
By Dathan Kazsuk
If you have ever walked into an old bank and thought, “This place could really use a king-size bed upstairs,” Roanoke, Virginia has you covered.
During a recent hosted media visit, I stayed at The Liberty Trust, a 54-room boutique hotel in the former headquarters of Roanoke’s first bank. And no, my bed was not inside the vault—although the hotel does give guests a chance to eat and drink in it.
Roanoke’s “Temple of Finance”
Before it held hotel guests, the seven-story building at the corner of South Jefferson Street and Salem Avenue held money—and plenty of local history.
Completed in 1910, the building was built for First National Bank, Roanoke’s first financial institution. The bank handled commercial transactions tied to the Shenandoah Valley Railroad, the forerunner of the Norfolk & Western Railway, which played an important role in Roanoke’s growth.
Architect John Kevan Peebles, one of Virginia’s leading early-20th-century architects, gave the building a mix of classical grandeur and French-influenced Beaux-Arts style. Its height also signaled modernity, made possible by improvements in fireproof construction and the then-new electric elevator.
In 1926, First National merged with National Exchange Bank, and Liberty Trust Company bought the building. Liberty Trust remained headquartered there for about 20 years before merging with another bank and relocating. Other financial institutions followed, allowing the building to retain its original commercial purpose for much of the next century.
Checking In Without Making a Deposit
The lobby is the hotel’s showstopper. Marble, towering columns, and a soaring ceiling still give the room the presence of a grand banking hall, but it no longer feels like a place where you need to whisper while waiting for a loan officer.
The restoration also avoids turning the building into a museum—or, worse, a hotel with a few old photos on the wall and a marketing department doing the rest. Original architectural details remain part of the experience. Historic copper doors lead into the guest rooms, while the building’s granite exterior, carved rosettes, and columns continue to tell the story before you ever reach the front desk.
My room, 704, was on the top floor and had a nice view of the historic train tracks a block over, and behind the tracks, the popular Hotel Roanoke and its Tudor-style exterior.
The room was perfect for the three-night stay with a comfortable bed, walk-in shower, mini fridge, desk for getting some work done, and a Nespresso machine to get you ready for the day’s adventure. Just all the comforts one would expect of an upscale boutique hotel
That balance matters. I like a historic hotel with enough character to remind me where I am, but I do not need the full 1910 sleeping experience. Indoor plumbing and reliable Wi-Fi are parts of history I am happy to skip over.
Yes, You Can Go Into the Vault
The hotel’s banking history reaches its most literal point at The Vault, its lobby-level restaurant and bar. The menu centers on shareable dishes with international influences, supported by cocktails, wine, and local craft beer. The original walk-in bank vault has been repurposed as an intimate tasting and dining room.
Even if you are not staying for a full meal, it is worth stepping inside. There are only so many times in life when entering a bank vault will not result in an alarm, a police report, or a very uncomfortable conversation.
The Vault serves breakfast and dinner, with small bites ranging from shrimp cocktail and crab dip to chicken and the Money Burger. And make sure you end your evening with a S’mores Old Fashioned, made with cocoa liquor, bitters, a graham cracker and chocolate rim, and toasted marshmallows.
A Downtown Base That Makes Sense
The Liberty Trust’s location was one of its biggest advantages during my media visit. The hotel sits in the heart of downtown Roanoke, close to the city market, restaurants, breweries, museums, and shopping.
That made the hotel more than a visually interesting place to sleep. It worked as a base for understanding the city. Roanoke has a strong collection of historic buildings being reused rather than forgotten, and The Liberty Trust offers one of the clearest examples.
I could step out in the evening and check out Parkway Brewing and Olde Salem Brewery, less than three minutes from the front door. And several fine-dining steakhouses and ethnic cuisines are within steps of the doors to the former bank.
So, would I sleep in a bank again? Absolutely—especially when the lobby looks like this, the vault serves cocktails, and nobody asks me to balance my checkbook before handing over the room key.
