Oct. 4—The Historic Preservation Commission is urging city officials to repair the iconic Old State Bank Building, but the price is steep.
The Decatur Daily obtained a letter dated Sept. 9 in which the commission urged Mayor Tab Bowling and Decatur City Council members to “stabilize the building” at an estimated cost of at least $3 million.
The building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is currently not open to the public because of the structural issues.
Community Development Manager Allen Stover said he’s aware of the letter and confirmed the Historic Preservation Commission’s estimate. He said that Mayor-elect Kent Lawrence and the new council take office Nov. 3, so they will probably make the decision on whether to fund the renovations.
“We will present it to them when they get into the office to see what our next step is,” Stover said. “The two councilmen who are coming back (Carlton McMasters and Kyle Pike) know where we are and understand the importance of the old bank.”
Built in 1833, the Old State Bank is one of the city’s four buildings that survived the Civil War. The building originally housed the Tennessee Valley branch of the Bank of the State of Alabama.
According to a 1936 historic American buildings survey, the stone columns at the front of the building were quarried from Trinity Mountain by slaves of the first bank president, James Fennell, and the columns were moved with “sixteen yokes of oxen.” U.S. President Martin Van Buren was present at the building’s dedication, according to the survey.
A nationwide depression in 1837 led to the revocation of the Decatur bank franchise in 1842.
During the Civil War, according to the 1936 survey, the building served as hospital for wounded soldiers.
From 1881 to 1902, the structure was occupied by the First National Bank of Decatur.
The last major renovation of the Old State Bank occurred in the late 1970s. Before that, the bank underwent a restoration in the 1930s.
The city recently hired Lord Aeck Sargent, an Atlanta-based architecture firm with a history of working with historic buildings, and Bennett Engineering, a South Carolina company with experience in antebellum load-bearing walls.
The two companies did an in-depth examination that included cutting-edge technology — a laser scan of the structure and infrared photography to show moisture damage.
Caroline Swope, the city’s historic preservation specialist, told The Daily last year that the exam revealed the need to remove a tree growing into the foundation of the building, reinforce the joists, do structural work in the basement, tie down the roof and north wall and, one of the most pressing issues, stabilize the outside stairs.
John Allison, executive director of the Morgan County Archives, is one of six Historic Preservation Commission members that signed the letter.
“There are structural issues on load-bearing walls and with the foundation,” Allison said. “It’s not cosmetic stuff. If it’s going to survive another 100 years, these things need to be addressed. The bank has some pretty serious issues that need to be taken care of if we want to have it for any kind of public use and occupancy.”
Allison said some of the restorations done in past years “were not as careful as they should have been.” He said the bank’s location next to Alabama 20/Wilson Street hasn’t helped because of the large number of big trucks constantly rumbling by it.
Allison said the Old State Bank and the Princess Theatre are the city’s two iconic buildings.
“When you say Decatur, those are the two places anyone who is not from here recognize,” Allison said.
Stover said the city has close to $500,000 in grant money, and he’s hopeful they can double this amount in grants as they try to raise enough for the project. That would mean the city still needs another $2 million.
McMasters said $2 million “is an awful lot of money we don’t have, but it’s important that we figure out a way to find the money to repair the bank. We definitely can’t let it fall into disrepair.”
Pike also said he believes they have to do what is required to repair the building.
“We need to know what is required and then decide if we need to do everything in it or just do what’s necessary,” Pike said.
McMasters said funding the renovations will not be easy.
“Luckily, we are seeing some revenue growth that other municipalities aren’t, but it’s not enough for big capital spends like we’ve had in the last four years,” he said.
— bayne.hughes@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2432
