Granby Row is one of the few blocks of low-rise commercial architecture in downtown Norfolk to have survived from the turn of the twentieth century. Its remarkable cohesion is due in part to the circumstances surrounding its construction. A major fire engulfed properties on both sides of the street in 1902, and the task of the reconstruction fell largely to the firm of Breese, Ferguson and Calrow. Over the years, the east side of the block evolved from a respectable row of small businesses into a disreputable row of sailors' bars. More recently, it has reemerged as a vibrant row of small shops, galleries, and restaurants. The neoclassical Tradewinds Building (112–114 Granby Street; c. 1904–1905), the most elaborate of the group, may have been designed by architect James W. Lee, who maintained an office there. Above the ground-floor shop front is a mezzanine level ornamented with lions' heads, while the two upper levels are treated as a highly ornate Ionic temple front. The four adjacent buildings (116–118, 120–122, 126, and 128–130 Granby Street; 1902–1903) were built as a group in an a-b-b-a rhythm. They have been remodeled individually, but here and there remnants of the original Renaissance Revival ornament are visible and the overall design can be pieced together.