Locals call this eleven-story brick and marble building 'The Murch' — the Murchison Building, pronounced Murk-i-son, which you'll find at Front and Chestnut. Locals call it "The Murch." Built for and by the Murchison National Bank, it was known as the Murchison National Bank Building until 1972, and across the street sits the original four-story Murchison National Bank built in 1902. For nearly a century it has been a staple of the waterfront skyline.
In its infancy the building was top-of-the-line: two boilers sent steam heat to radiators throughout, it drew water from an onsite artesian well, and female employees and patrons had a women's restroom on the fourth floor. These details give a sense of how self-contained and modern it once was.
Stand here and imagine the view the designers intended: to the north you can look toward the Cotton Exchange and Cape Fear Community College; to the west the USS North Carolina Battleship Memorial and Cape Fear; to the south Riverfront Park and Chandlers Wharf; and to the east Wilmington Downtown and its Courthouse. Picture the Cotton Exchange, the Battleship, Riverfront Park, and downtown framing this corner.