First National Bank - Anamosa, Iowa - Converted Bank Buildings on Waymarking.com

My Commentary: Other than the National Register Application, there is nothing to suggest that this building was once a bank. The current occupant - Vintage Twist - is a furniture refinishing shop.

Constructed in 1865, this 2-story commercial building is built of soft, Anamosa fired brick of an orange-red color and now painted. Much of the paint has worn off. The storefront is an entirely modern design of metal frame and glass and rests on an original limestone plate. Original transoms might remain intact under cover-up materials above the store window. The second floor features three bays. The two east bays have foreshortened and replacement windows with original limestone lintels and sills. The west bay was enlarged at one time and now has a replacement window and in-fill materials in its cavity. Its original limestone lintel is missing, although its original limestone sill remains. A brickworked cornice with inset panels and a simple cornice with dentils surmount the upper story. Fixed metal canopies extend across the front facade of this building and its neighbor to the east, the Peet & Cox Building at 206 West Main Street. H(orace). C. Metcalf built this property. He was born in May 1821 in Indiana and came to Anamosa in 1845, one of its early settlers and businessmen. Metcalf engaged in mercantile pursuits for 20 years and then began a banking business in 1869. Two years later, he organized the First National Bank and was elected its president. Metcalf served in this office until January 1879, when the national banking system was established and Metcalf discontinued the business, engaging again in private banking. The First National Bank operated from this building. The second story served as a courtroom for the County of Jones County. Although the replacement windows on the second floor are visually distracting, allowance should be made for the building's great age in evaluating it, particularly since its frieze and cornice remain virtually intact and contribute to the rhythm of these important architectural details along the historic district's streetscape. The date of this block's construction, 1865, and the name of its early owner, H. C. Metcalf, are as documented by an article in The Anamosa Eureka, May 18, 1865. The near identical design of this building's facade and its neighbor to the east, the Peet & Cox, suggests that it also was constructed by William T. Shaw.

-National Registry Entry

Address: 208 West Main Street Anamosa, Iowa 52205 Year: 1865 Website: [Web Link] Current Use of Building: furniture refinishing business

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