The auction houses in Shockoe Bottom frequently sold human "goods" along with corn, coffee and other commodities. Slave commerce was concentrated in the roughly 30-block area bounded by Broad, 15th and 19th Streets and the river. Davenport & Co., located at 15th and Cary Streets, was an auction house near the center of the district; portions of the building survived Civil War destruction and are now a part of the present building.
