First National Bank of Roff - 1900 - Roff, OK
N 34° 37.634 W 096° 50.535
14S E 697803 N 3833823
Built in 1900, the First National Bank of Roff building is at 201 W Main St, Roff, OK, and it sure could use a little bit of TLC.
Waymark Code: WM120G9
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 01/23/2020
Views: 3
The sign dating the bank is next to the entrance to the stairway that leads to the second floor. Made of wood, it looks like it once resembled the shape of the state of Oklahoma, but the panhandle has broken away.
This building was constructed in 1900, about seven years before Oklahoma achieved statehood, and its current owner, Ameer Sweiss, notes on the bank's Facebook page (see Website, below) that it was established by Joseph Roff in that same year. There are some spurious references to their printing money as early as 1882, but accounts indicate that, at that point, Mr. Roff and his family had not yet even arrived in the area: Roff himself came here from Texas in 1871, and his first wife was a Choctaw who died in 1883. In any event, it was some time before Roff began to lease out his land to others. There was a sizable community within a few years, but there wasn't even a town (with Roff as the first mayor) until 1900.
The bank operated here before going bust in 1927, occupying the first floor while the second floor was used as a law office and a telephone exchange. At some point, it was spiffed up, given a vintage 1920s/1930s decor, and operated as Tom's Pool Hall, a pool hall and domino parlor. It shut down in 1978, and the bank ultimately was converted into a residence. The damaged roof and vandalized windows have exposed the interior to the elements, resulting in tremendous damage. There is a GoFundMe effort, but they're not making much progress towards their goal of $40,000 towards restoring this beautiful piece of town history.