The First National Bank, at 103 E. Broadway, in Bolivar, Polk County, Missouri, is a two story Classical Revival style commercial building which was completed in 1907. It has buff brick walls that are accented with monumental Classical pilasters and a terra cotta cornice. It has a flat roof and a limestone foundation. The building occupies a prominent corner on the north side of the Polk County courthouse square; it is the only resource on the property. The design of the building takes advantage of the corner lot; the long west side wall has the same high level of architectural detailing as the south-facing façade. Both walls are lined with oversized windows on the first and second floors. Although most of the windows have been covered or removed, none of the masonry openings were impacted, and several of the lower openings still have original frames and glazing in place behind modern materials. The interior of the building retains a good deal of original material. The second floor interior is particularly intact. Almost all walls, flooring and woodwork there are original and in fair to good condition. Although the first floor has seen more changes, there are some early finishes, which include pressed metal ceiling panels and part of the original formal front staircase. There are also two large safes which were used by the first occupants of the ground floor. The building is immediately recognizable to its period of significance, which corresponds to the time it was used by Bolivar’s only National Bank, 1907-1932...
The First National Bank, at 103 E. Broadway in Bolivar, Missouri was built in 1907. The building was designed and built specifically for the First National Bank, which was the only national bank in Polk County throughout the period of significance. The First National Bank was established in Bolivar in 1904, when the local Bank of Bolivar was reorganized and chartered as a national bank. That process was led by prominent area businessman R. B. Viles, and he and his sons were active in the operation of the First National Bank until it closed in 1932. The period of significance corresponds to its tenure as a national bank, 1907 to 1932. The building was also home to other businesses while the bank was in operation. Real estate professional F. W. Adams was an early and long-time first floor tenant, and smaller offices in the building housed everything from medical offices to the Bolivar Poultry Association.
The building is also architecturally significant. It is one of the most intact historic commercial buildings of any type on the public square, and the only intact historic bank building in Bolivar. It is also one of few local buildings of its era to have been professionally designed. The Classical Revival style building was built from plans prepared by the Kansas City firm of Wilder and Wight, which later became Wight and Wight. Wight and Wight designed many of Kansas City’s most important Classical Revival style buildings in the early 20th century, including the Jackson County Courthouse and the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. The First National Bank in Bolivar continues to reflect its strong link to the commercial history of the community, and its refined Classical Revival style sets it apart from neighboring buildings on the Polk County public square.
The bank closed in 1932 during the Great Depression. Following the bank closure the building housed many businesses and professional offices. For many years the first floor was used by drugstores. The building currently is vacant and unused.