Richmond State Bank

About

The Richmond State Bank, also known simply as the Bank, is a historic building in downtown Richmond on the northeast corner of Main and State. The bank ran from 1908 to the Great Recession.

History

Before the construction of the bank, the land was owned by two of Richmond's mayors: future mayor Charles Z. Harris from 1899-1907, and former mayor James I. Shephard from 1907-1908. James sold the property to Thatcher Brothers Banking Co. for $1,000. After the building was constructed, incumbent Mayor James W. Funk was appointed President of the Richmond branch and future Mayor George G. Hendricks as cashier.2

The building was originally built with a second story. For many years, the second floor was used by the City Council to hold meetings and as a Telephone Operator floor. After the 1962 earthquake, the telephone company that occupied the second floor moved, and the second floor was removed.2

The bank's owners switched hands multiple times in its life. In 1928, Thatcher Bro. Co. was acquired by First Security Corp. Then, in 1933, it was acquired by First National Bank of Ogden, Utah.1 In 2000-2001, First Security was acquired by Wells Fargo and served until 2007-8 from the Great Recession. In 2008, the current owners purchased the property.

In 2002, the bank was nominated to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places but was not added.2