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 National Bank of Gallatin Valley - Bozeman, MT Posted by:  T0SHEA
N 45° 40.762 W 111° 02.238
12T E 497095 N 5058424
Built in 1905, this was one of the early banks in Bozeman. Unfortunately, it did not survive to become one of the later banks, being absorbed by three of Bozeman's other banks in 1926, the result of drought and too great a dependence on agriculture.
Waymark Code: WMW4MR
Location: Montana, United States
Date Posted: 07/09/2017
Views: 0
NATIONAL BANK OF GALLATIN VALLEY
Impressive molded concrete blocks make this early bank building one of Bozeman's most unique historic landmarks. Businessmen James E. Martin and Amos C. Hall (who served a term as mayor of Bozeman in 1922) established the Martin and Hall Bank, later the National Bank of Gallatin Valley, in 1903. This Classical Revival style building, constructed in 1905, features decorative brick highlights at the roofline. Solid construction and two-story fluted columns lend a visual stability symbolic of financial strength. The bank had a strong beginning, weathering a national depression in 1907, but finances could not match the building's architectural message. The bank struggled during the depressed 1920s. Legend has it that W. S. Davidson, president of the Gallatin Trust and Savings Bank, situated across the street, would rise in his chair each morning and peer across the street to see if the National Bank would open its doors. In 1926, Davidson's bank along with two others quietly absorbed the financially ailing institution. James Martin, longtime bank president, told neighbors that he quit banking to tend his sheep herd.
From the plaque at the building
See Section number 8, Page 18.
National Bank of Gallatin Valley
As farmers strove to maximize efficiency, bank loans for equipment and land took on increased importance, and the four impressive, early 20th century bank buildings in the district, 1 W. Main, 2 W. Main, 104 E. Main, and 107 E. Main attest to the importance of the city as a regional banking center. Bozeman's banks, supported in large part by investment by farmers, were vulnerable to the vagaries of an agricultural economy. Indeed, an agricultural depression in the 1920's caused by a relentless drought brought down at least one bank in Bozeman, the National Bank of Gallatin Valley. The bank was housed in the unusual, molded concrete building at 1 W. Main, which is fronted by two immense columns, which were to symbolize the bank's financial stability, ironically.
From the NRHP Continuation Sheet
Describe the area and history:
The area is comprised of predominately historic buildings, including this one.
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