Bank of America - Alturas, CA
N 41° 28.996 W 120° 32.555
10T E 705163 N 4595321
The Laird Building on the corner of W North and S Main Streets in downtown Alturas, CA was once home to Bank of America for many years.
Waymark Code: WMJNTF
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 12/10/2013
Views: 1
Located at the corner of W North and S Main Streets stands the Laird Building, erected in 1908. The building name and date of construction are lettered in rusted metal on the east face of the building.
The only remnant remaining from this building's banking history is an after-hour depository door that reads 'BANK OF AMERICA - N.T.&S.A.' with a ship etched in metal on the circular door.
I did some research on the history of this building and the only information I could locate was a paragraph from the nearby Hotel Niles website that reads:
In 1908, Jay (Niles) sold his extensive holdings in the Adin area and moved his family to the growing city of Alturas. The community of Alturas was fortunate to be the recipient of this man’s attention. In partnership with Reuel Laird, Jay’s first enterprise was the construction of the original Niles Hotel, a two story stone edifice on Main Street. The ground floor was occupied by a variety of businesses, and the second floor served as a hotel. This structure, which is known today as the Laird Building, housed the Bank of America for many years. While Jay was building his hotel, a new three story structure named the Curtis Hotel was under construction down the street. In 1912 Jay purchased the Curtis Hotel, completed the interior of the upper two floors and renamed it the Niles Hotel. He operated this landmark until 1929 when, at the age of 76, he sold the hotel and retired . . . temporarily.
In addition, I talked to one of the owners of an antique store across the street from this former bank and she related growing up in Alturas and remembering open up her first savings account at Bank of America. She remembers the bank closing in the late 1960s, possible the early 1970s. In addition to the Laird Building housing a hotel and the bank, the building was also home to Laird Drug Store/Pharmacy, and a picture of the drugstore that once existed in this building is captured below.
Today, this building is home to a few retail shops that include a flower shop, a second-hand/knick-knack store and a gift shop/espresso bar. The former hotel upstairs looks gutted and unused, from the open studded walls that I could see from outside.
I also located another online article from RootsWeb.com that details the pharmaceutical history of this building. This building was home to a pharmacy for 98 years but the current owners of the building shut down the pharmacy in 2008.