Chilhowee Bank - Chilhowee Historic District - Chilhowee, Missouri - NRHP Historic Districts - Contributing Buildings on Waymarking.com

Built in 1915, this squarish one-story brick building is an interesting example of a World War One-era small town bank. The Chilhowee Bank and the nearby Farmers Bank merged in 1927 but the "new" bank failed a few years later. Stone Tuscan columns flank the entrance which is set at an angle in the northwest corner. The plain cornice is capped with lime stone. Four bands of smooth limestone also grace the street-facing walls. The two middle bands are in effect continuous lintels and lugsills. Tiara-like, a stone circle with the date, 1915, breaks the roofline over the entrance. Also above the doorway is a rectangular stone inscribed, CHILHOWEE BANK. Original windows on the north and west sides contain 16-pane transoms. The general contractor was John E. Anderson & Son of Kansas City, Kans. The brick mason was Louis Hanes of Blairstown, Mo. Alterations include replacement of a double-leaf wide transomed entrance with a modern single doorway and transom (tastefully done, however), bricking various windows on the east and south facades, and installing a drive-up window on the east, all in 1975. Despite the reworking and the resulting loss of integrity, this building is a strong contributing element which is evocative of its place in time.