Clay County Savings Association Building - Liberty, Missouri - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The Clay County Savings Association Building is located at 104 East Franklin in Liberty, Clay County, Missouri. The two-story, gable roof, rectangular brick bank was completed in 1859 utilizing Federal architectural design elements on a commercial building. Simple classical detailing distinguishes this building from the commercial structures which would later be constructed on Liberty's square. Prominent is the low-pitched gable roof with pedimented gable end on the south side of the building. The window and door openings on the first floor are recessed within a semi-circular relieving arch, and contain semi-circular fanlights. All windows on the original portion of the bank are double-hung, with multiple panes and louvered shutters. A cross gable, two-story section, formerly forming a "T", is believed to be original. By 1883, though, a two-story addition was added in the northeast corner of the "T". The building was enlarged further to the north between 1906 and 1913 (Sanborn Maps, 1883, 1889, 1894, 1899, 1906, & 1913). Another two-story brick addition was added to the southeast corner of the "T" in 1922. This section has a flat roof. The primary facades, those on the west and east, have remained virtually unchanged, and the new additions are clearly distinguishable from the original structure.

The Clay County Savings Association Building was built on the northeast corner of the square, at the intersection of East Franklin and North Water streets. The original portion of the bank building was constructed in 1858, and is three bays wide on East Franklin, and five bays long on North Water. It sits on a stone foundation, and is two stories tall, with a low-pitched, gable roof with boxed cornice forming a pedimented gable on the south side of the building. A wide band of painted, projecting brick forms a frieze under the roof cornice. On the north side, the cornice forms gable end returns, and there is very little eave overhang. Also on the north side at the ridge line is a brick chimney.

The brick on the south and west side of the original portion is running bond, and on the north elevation is common bond. A continuous stone lintel connects the windows on the south and west, and another wider stone belt course separates the first from the second floor on these two elevations. The fenestrations on the first floor of the south and west elevations are set within semi-circular arched, recessed openings which extend to the building's stone sill. The openings are topped with double arches of radiating brick voussoirs, with a stone keystone on the upper arch. Set within the recessed openings are three entry doors - one on the first and fifth bay of the west side, and another on the left bay of the south side. The two wood doors on the southwest corner are six panelled, with a semi-circular fanlight above. The door on the northwest corner is wood, with two lower panels and nine glass panes, also with a fanlight above. The fourth bay of the west side has been bricked in, but the other openings contain multiple pane wood, double-hung sash windows, with the upper sash having a semi-circular top. The first floor windows on the north elevation are identical to the others, except they are set within single arched openings, rather than double recessed openings. The second story windows on the original portion of the bank building are six-over-six, double hung wood sash, with wood louvered shutters. They have flat arch lintels with radiating brick voussoirs. All windows, on both the original building and the additions, have simple stone sills.

The gable roof addition on the northeast has brick walls of common bond, and single windows set in arched brick openings. There are entry doors on the northwest and northeast section of this addition. The southeast addition of 1922 has running bond brick walls and a flat roof. A projecting cornice line connects with the boxed cornice of the 1858 section. The windows are grouped in two's and four's, and are six-over-one, double-hung wood sash, with a continuous stone lintel under each window grouping. Due to the drop in elevation in East Franklin street from North Water to the east, basement windows are also evident on this addition. A deeply recessed first story entry is on the south elevation of the 1922 addition, adjacent to the original bank building. Concrete steps lead up to an entry door on the addition, and a window from the east side of the original building is still visible.

The lot is level with the streets, and there is drive on the north leading from North Water to parking in the rear (north) and east. A small deciduous tree on the north shades a grassy picnic area.

Inside, some parts of the building have been structurally altered for contemporary use. The entire second floor, for instance, has been divided into three apartments, requiring the addition of bathrooms, kitchens, closets and hallways. Consequently, there is little historic fabric in this area of the building. The principle access to the second floor, is through the large southern entry hall and up a graceful geometrical staircase with mid-floor landing. This original staircase, which boasts lathe turned balusters, a continuous curved handrail, and a 6-sided newel post, bridges the two intersecting wings of the original bank building.

An office area now located in the southeast corner of the building on the ground floor was added in 1922. The earlier addition in the northeast corner of the building is now occupied by a museum display room and storage area. The south wall of the display room has been exposed to reveal brickwork which once formed the exterior wall on the original north wing elevation. This is the only significant interior detail to be found in either of the two additions.

The public areas of the original portion of the building have retained many of their original features. Distinctive door and window trim has been retained in the interpretive areas of the current Bank Museum. Header trim over the original interior doors has a slightly pedimented appearance, reinforcing the more formal elements of the Federal style.

The double-door combination safe -- made by the Lily Safe Company in New York and patented in 1851 -- is also original to the building. It is made of chilled steel and, according to local tradition, was carried to the site by wagon from Liberty Landing on the Missouri River.

According to the current owner, the pressed metal ceiling in the gift shop and bank were installed ca. 1865. His restoration of the bank room in the 1960's involved refinishing the random width tongue and groove yellow pine flooring, repainting the walls a period green color, removing radiators, and installing a walnut mantel (on the east wall). The furnishings currently on display in the museum are not original to the building, but are period pieces dating to the Civil War.