St. Charles National Bank

The St. Charles National Bank was established in 1902 and operated the bank at 107 W. Main Street until it moved to this location in 1926. St. Charles philanthropist Col. Edward J. Baker, a member of the Board of Directors of the St. Charles National Bank, provided the bank with its new home. He purchased the former Gartner's Bakery building at this site, razed it, and constructed the new $200,000 bank building using his funds.

Baker hired the architectural firm of Wolf, Sexton, Harper, and Trueax to design the building in the Classical Revival style. Georgia pink marble covered the exterior of the building, and Italian white marble trimmed the inside. The elegant new bank building featured high ceilings, arched windows, bronze light fixtures, vases, and furniture. The building was equipped with a machine gun lookout and a burglar-proof vault to deter bank robberies. C. Jay Marvin, National Bank cashier from 1923-1940, noted that the opening of the new bank, celebrated on June 20, 1926, was a "very festive occasion," with most of the townspeople stopping by to view the bank and receive a souvenir.

Col. Baker retained ownership of the building, with the St. Charles National Bank renting the location, until he died in 1959 when Dellora Norris inherited it. National Bank stockholders bought the building from the Norris family in 1960.

The St. Charles National Bank made changes to the bank building over time. The bronze decorations and furniture were removed during a remodeling of the building in 1962, and walnut counters replaced the original white marble. In 1967, the bank added executive offices and a conference room west of the original building. The bank completed a $250,000 renovation in 1971 that added walk-up and drive-up windows and lowered the ceilings to add space for the bookkeeping department.

In 1985, ELM-Marine Bancshares of Elmhurst, Illinois, bought St. Charles National Bank and became known as Illinois Marine Bank. It was later renamed Illinois Regional Bank. Old Kent Bank purchased the bank in 1990 and renovated the building in 1991-1992.

The Geneva law firm of Foote, Myers, Mielke & Flowers, LLC purchased the bank building in 2007. The law firm added office space north of the original National Bank structure and moved its offices to the 3 North Second Street addition in 2009.

Sources

■ Architectural Survey, St. Charles Central District, St. Charles, IL. 1995.

■ "Bank Opening a Big Event, is Mecca of Calls." St. Charles Chronicle 1 July 1926.

■ Pearson, Ruth Ann. Reflections of St. Charles. Elgin: Brethren Press, 1976. pp 31, 36, 116

■ "Prime Downtown Space: St. Charles Law Firm Seeking New Neighbors." Kane County Chronicle 28 October 2009.

■ "St. Chas Nat'I Bank Opens In Fine New Home." St. Charles Chronicle 24 June 1926.