33 E Plaza - 1917 - Paris, TX
N 33° 39.646 W 095° 33.373
15S E 262974 N 3727475
Built right after the Great Paris Fire of 1916, the building at 33 E Plaza St began life in 1917 as the First State Bank, noted by a bronze City of Paris Historic District plaque on the front of the building.
Waymark Code: WM11EZG
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/10/2019
Views: 2
The plaque itself has "City of Paris" and "Historic District" framing the Culbertson Fountain, a symbol of Paris's resilience and strength after the 1916 fire consumed so much of the downtown area.
This building is part of the Paris Commercial Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing structure. The DowntownTX website is a great resource in providing some background, as the National Register's Nomination Form says little other than noting this one as a contributor (as property #25) and capturing it (as the Corner Drug Store) in photos #55-56. Note that while the Nomination Form lists the address as being "39," today, it appears as "33". It replaced whatever was there before the Great Fire of 1916, and these are some past occupants:
1917-24: First State Bank
1926: Bank
1929: Lamar State Bank & Trust Company
1936-40: The Collegiate Shoppe (women's clothing)
1944-83: Corner Drug Store
1997: Book Press Limited (antiques)
2004: The Vault (club)
The Nomination Form also refers to the building as the "Margraves Building", with no detail provided. The lot on which the bank stands was acquired in January 1917 from E.S. Connor for $19,000.