John Baird Jr., a Scottish merchant and early developer in Petersburg, built this house. The upper levels originally served as his residence, with a counting house and lodging rooms in the stone cellar. The Hall Parlor, raised basement house is rare to Virginia architecture in that its gable end faces the street.

At the turn of the century, the building was used as a fish market. From 1908 to the mid 1970's it served as a church. In 1978 the house was sold and used as a blacksmith's shop. The Historic Petersburg Foundation Inc. purchased the property in 1988. For years, Grove Avenue has been a primary focus of the Foundations's preservation efforts, as most of what remains from Petersburg's earliest construction is located here, on the oldest street in Petesburg. Since June 1999, the John Baird, Jr. House has served as the Foundations headquarters.