Northampton National Bank Building (1910 - 2012) - Easton, PA
N 40° 41.463 W 075° 12.671
18T E 482156 N 4504483
The National was built in 1908, the one-time home of the Northampton National Bank. For many years, The Morning Call used it as its Easton headquarters. A variety of professionals rent office space in the building.
Waymark Code: WMH4JW
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 05/21/2013
Views: 7
This beautiful old building is featured in a postcard taken in the 1910s which I found on eBay. The photo was taken form across the street, about 95 feet away just beyond the intersection of Northampton Street and North 4th Street, standing on the east side of North 4th Street, 33 feet from the corner. The building faces due north and I faced southwest placing the building on an angle and revealing part of the left side (from my perspective - proper right from the building's perspective). Looking at the two pictures, the only difference noteworthy enough to mention is the addition of a traffic light installed in the later half of the twentieth century. I visited the National building on Friday, August 10, 2012 @ 3:52 PM, EDT and @ an elevation of 193 feet.
This beautiful old bank is still in use and awesome as ever. The lobby is far as I got but that is all I needed to see. Inside are so many curiosities from a long forgotten age. I spotted antique elevators, mail deliver systems, fixtures, an old English red telephone booth, a mural possibly from a Works Project effort, a domed ceiling, all kinds of trim and molding and enough gilded stuff to last a life time. Check out the gallery to truly appreciate this building.
The VM Development Group bought the building in May of 2011. Koehler-Kheel Realty has owned the National since 2000. VM had been looking for an office in Easton to run its local projects. It occupies the seventh-floor of the the National Building. Previous to this, For many years, The Morning Call used it as its Easton headquarters. A variety of professionals rent office space in the building.
The building is listed as a contributing structure. For some reason, the nomination form only lists the most significant of contributing structures (about 30 sites), and does not numerically list all the properties as is traditional but instead lists the properties in batches according to architectural style and period. If there is a more formal list, I cannot find it....yet. There is not doubt, however this is a contributing property. The following excerpt comes form the nomination form.
Beaux Arts
The Northampton National Bank Building (Easton Branch of the First National Bank of Allentown) located at 400-402 Northampton Street, the Alpha Building located at 14-18 Centre Square and the State Theater located at 451-453 Northampton Street.