Tradesman's National Bank Building - Oklahoma City, OK - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

Located on the northwest corner of Main and Broadway in downtown Oklahoma City, this 10-story limestone building is constructed in the Sullivanesque style. The building has three distinct horizontal sections. The first two floors form the base. The walls are rusticated stone and all windows have striped cloth awnings. A beltcourse above the second level separates it from the mid-section which is seven stories high. The stone walls on this section are smooth and the windows are symmetrically placed. All the original wood-framed windows have been replaced with fixed smoked glass panels. The upper section consists of the tenth floor and a projected eave with ornate exposed beams under the eaves, and floral and sunburst designs.

The building was constructed in 1921 and was occupied by the Tradesman's National Bank until 1949. At that time, the bank merged with First National Bank and the building was sold to City National Bank, who occupied the building until 1971. At the time the building was placed on the register in 1980, the main tenant was Frontier Federal Savings and Loan. It is now occupied by BankFirst, with the upper floors occupied by a variety of business offices.

A plaque at this location, placed by the Oklahoma Heritage Association in 1977, describes the history of this building, as follows: "City Center Building / This building and its predecessors have served Oklahoma City over the years as a communications center, a financial center, and in numerous other capacities. The City's first major post office building was constructed on this location beginning in 1889. Later, a three-story building was constructed which served at various times as Ward II elementary school, as a Masonic meeting hall, and as the home of Citizens Independent Telephone Company, a forerunner of Southwest Bell. In 1921 the Tradesman's National Bank Building -- to the left of this plaque -- was erected. This elegant "fireproof" structure was the first air-conditioned building in the City. The Trademan's Bank merged into the First National Bank and the building became the home of the City National Bank in 1949. Remodeled and enlarged, the buidling was re-opened as the City Center Building in January 1977."

County / Borough / Parish: Oklahoma County Year listed: 1980 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1900-1924 Historic function: Commerce/Trade Current function: Commerce/Trade Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Street address: Not listed Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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