Crook County Bank Building

Last updated
Crook County Bank Building
Crook County Bank - Prineville Oregon.jpg
Home of the Bowman Museum
Location246 North Main Street,
Prineville, Oregon
Coordinates 44°18′10″N120°50′49″W / 44.30278°N 120.84694°W / 44.30278; -120.84694 Coordinates: 44°18′10″N120°50′49″W / 44.30278°N 120.84694°W / 44.30278; -120.84694
Built1910
Architectural style Romanesque
NRHP reference No. 91000802
Added to NRHPJune 19, 1991

The Crook County Bank is a historic bank building in Prineville, Oregon, United States. It was built in 1910 [1] using stone blocks from a local quarry. The building was first use as a bank and then occupied by title and insurance business until 1971, when ownership was transferred to Crook County for use as a local history museum. Today, the Crook County Bank building is the home of the A. R. Bowman Memorial Museum. Because of its importance to the history of Prineville, the Crook County Bank Building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Contents

History

The Crook County Bank Building was built in 1910 and opened in 1911. It was the home of three different banks. It was first occupied by the Crook County Bank. When the Crook County Bank left in 1923, it was replaced by the Bank of Prineville and later the Prineville National Bank. When that bank became insolvent during the Great Depression, the building was purchased by A. R. Bowman for his title and insurance business. Bowman used the building for his various businesses from 1935 until his death in 1970. [2] [3]

In 1971, Bowman's wife and their two daughters donated the Crook County Bank Building to Crook County for use as a museum. The Crook County Historical Society assumed the responsibility of operating the A. R. Bowman Memorial Museum through a contractual agreement with the county government. Initially, the museum was run by volunteers, with the county paying for utilities. In 1976, 1988 and again in 1998, Crook County voters approved tax levies that helped cover the cost of the museum staff salaries, utilities, insurance, maintenance, and capital investments. This help the museum finance a major building renovation in the 1992. [4] In 2000, the Crook County Historical Society received a grant from Oregon's State Historic Preservation Office to re-roof the old Crook County Bank building. [5]

The bank is an excellent example of Prineville's early 20th century development. Because of its unique architecture and its importance to the history of Prineville, the Crook County Bank Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 19 June 1991. [3] [6]

Structure

The Crook County Bank is located on the southeast corner of Third and Main Street in Prineville, Oregon. [7] It is a two-story Romanesque-style building. It was constructed in 1910 using stone blocks from a local quarry located west of the Ochoco Viewpoint. This is the same quarry that provided the stone used to build the Crook County Courthouse in 1909. [3] [8]

After acquiring the building, the Crook County Historical Society constructed a new staircase to the second floor, replacing an old wooden stairs on the east end of the building. However, the building's interior has not significantly changed since it was a community bank. The first floor still has the bank's original bronze teller cages, marble counter tops, etched art-glass, gilt and alabaster chandeliers, and the mahogany paneling that were the trappings of a prestigious banking institution in the first half of the twentieth century. [3] [4]

Bowman Museum

Today, the old Crook County Bank building houses the A. R. Bowman Memorial Museum. The museum is run buy the Crook County Historical Society and highlights the history of Crook County and central Oregon. The building's original interior has been maintained and is utilized in the museum's floor plan. There are major sections on the City of Prineville Railroad, the local timber industry, and military history. Other exhibits include furniture, garments, photographs, and pioneer artifacts. The museum's research room contains approximately 700 reference books on Oregon history. Researchers can investigate pioneer history, the growth of local industries, and many other subjects. The museum's gift shop has books on local history as well as souvenirs. [2] [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Oregon</span> Region in Oregon, United States

Central Oregon is a geographic region in the U.S. state of Oregon and is traditionally considered to be made up of Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties. Other definitions include larger areas, often encompassing areas to the north towards the Columbia River, eastward towards Burns, or south towards Klamath Falls. These three counties have a combined population of 200,431 as of the 2010 census, with Deschutes the largest of the three counties, having approximately four times the population of the other two counties combined. As of 2015, the most populous city in the region is Bend, with an estimated 87,014 residents. As defined by the three county definition, Central Oregon covers 7,833 square miles (20,290 km2) of land. Central Oregon has had 3 record tourism years beginning in 2012. Over 2.2 million people visited Central Oregon in 2012 and again in 2013.

The McLean County Courthouse and Square is located in downtown Bloomington, Illinois. The site is on the National Register of Historic Places and encompasses the old McLean County Courthouse and the courthouse-facing sides of three downtown blocks. All 4 floors of the building are now occupied by the McLean County Museum of History for exhibits, collections storage, and offices. The historic buildings at the other side of the square were destroyed by fire in the 1980s. The Square is bordered by four Bloomington streets: Main Street, Center Street, Jefferson Street and Washington Street. The site was home to three previous courthouses before the current one was completed in 1903. The first courthouse at the site was built in 1831, and the second in 1836. The third was built in 1868, but suffered major damage from fire on June 19, 1900.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Five Oaks Museum</span> History museum in Washington County, Oregon, United States

Five Oaks Museum, formerly known as the Washington County Museum, is a history museum in Washington County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the Rock Creek campus of Portland Community College (PCC), north of Beaverton, Oregon. From 2012 to 2017, its public exhibit space was located in downtown Hillsboro, Oregon, before it was moved back to PCC, its pre-2012 location and where the museum's research facility had already been located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milwaukee County Historical Society</span> History Museum & Research Center in North Old World Third Street Milwaukee, WI

The Milwaukee County Historical Society, also known as MCHS, is a local historical society in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Founded in 1935, the organization was formed to preserve, collect, recognize, and make available materials related to Milwaukee County history. It is located in downtown Milwaukee in the former Second Ward Savings Bank building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reid School (Bend, Oregon)</span> United States historic place

The Reid School is a historic school building in Bend, Oregon, United States. Built in 1914, it was the first modern school building constructed in Bend. The school was named in honor of Ruth Reid, Bend's first school principal. The building remained part of the public school district until 1979, when ownership was transferred to Deschutes County for use as a local history museum. Today, the Reid School is the home of the Deschutes Historical Museum. Because of its unique architecture and importance to the history of Bend, the Reid School is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee marble</span>

Tennessee marble is a type of crystalline limestone found only in East Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. Long esteemed by architects and builders for its pinkish-gray color and the ease with which it is polished, this stone has been used in the construction of numerous notable buildings and monuments throughout the United States and Canada, including the National Gallery of Art and the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., the Minnesota State Capitol, as well as parts of the United States Capitol in Washington, Grand Central Terminal in New York, and Union Station in Toronto. Tennessee marble achieved such popularity in the late-19th century that Knoxville, the stone's primary finishing and distribution center, became known as "The Marble City."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A. R. Bowman Memorial Museum</span> History museum in Oregon

The A. R. Bowman Memorial Museum is a local history museum in Prineville, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1971, the museum is housed in the old Crook County Bank Building which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The museum is run by the Crook County Historical Society and highlights the history of Crook County and central Oregon. Its collection includes many original pioneer artifacts, a large railroad exhibit, ranching and timber industry displays, furniture, garments, and historic photographs. The museum also has a research library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crook County High School</span> Public school in Prineville, Crook County, Oregon, United States

Crook County High School is a public high school in Prineville, Oregon, United States. The school is ranked 88th in the state of Oregon by U.S News & World Report.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heryford Brothers Building</span> United States historic place

The Heryford Brothers Building is a historic commercial building in Lakeview, Oregon, United States. It was built in 1913 by William P. Heryford, a local rancher and businessman. The building has changed hands several times over the years, but it has remained in continuous use since it was constructed. Today, the Heryford Building is an active commercial structure for a number of small businesses. Because of its importance to local history, the Heryford Building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Bank of Vale</span> United States historic place

The First Bank of Vale is a historic building located in Vale, Oregon. It was built in 1901 from completely from locally quarried native stone by local pioneers, the Hope brothers. The compact two story building is vernacular architecture of the Richardson Romanesque style. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 5 March 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wallowa County Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The Wallowa County Courthouse is the seat of government for Wallowa County in northeastern Oregon. The courthouse is located in Enterprise, Oregon. It was built in 1909–1910 using locally quarried stone. It is a massive High Victorian structure built of local Bowlby stone. The courthouse was listed on National Register of Historic Places in 2000. Today, the courthouse still houses Wallowa County government offices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McDonald Farm (Xenia, Ohio)</span> United States historic place

The McDonald Farm is a historic agricultural complex near the city of Xenia in Greene County, Ohio, United States. It has been named a historic site, largely because of a quarry on the farm, which supplied stone for the Washington Monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roba Ranch</span> United States historic place

The Roba Ranch is a pioneer ranch located near the small unincorporated community of Paulina in Crook County, Oregon. The ranch is named for George and Mary Roba, sheep ranchers who acquired the property in 1892. Most of the important ranch buildings were constructed by the Roba family between about 1892 and 1910. Today, the ranch covers 1,480 acres (6.0 km2) and is privately owned. The ranch was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stone School (Newmarket, New Hampshire)</span> United States historic place

The Stone School is a historic school building at 1 Granite Street in Newmarket, New Hampshire. Built in 1841-42, it served the town as a school until 1966, and is a distinctive example of the town's stone architecture. It is now the Stone School Museum, a local history museum. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old First National Bank of Prineville</span> United States historic place

The Old First National Bank of Prineville is a historic commercial building in Prineville, Oregon, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horace P. Belknap</span> American politician

Horace Preston Belknap was an American pioneer doctor, businessman, and a state legislator from the state of Oregon. Belknap was one of the first physicians to establish a medical practice in Central Oregon. He also served three terms in the Oregon House of Representatives as a Republican legislator, representing a large and rural district in central and southern Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cline Buttes</span> Mountains in central Oregon, US

The Cline Buttes are mountains with volcanic origins that form three dome-shaped peaks located in Deschutes County in central Oregon. They are some of the eastern foothills of the Cascade Range. Situated on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management, the buttes are flanked on the east and west sides by two separate sections of the Eagle Crest Resort. On the highest summit, there is a Federal Aviation Administration site with an aircraft navigation beacon. The mountains have several hiking trails as well as a number of popular mountain bike routes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cass A. Cline</span>

Cass Adelbert Cline was an American pioneer who was an early settler in central Oregon. Cline’s family moved to Oregon when he was a small child, settling west of the Cascade Mountains near Roseburg. As a young man, Cline moved to central Oregon and claimed homestead land along the Deschutes River. He later became a well-known dentist, property developer, and race horse breeder. Today, a waterfall on the Deschutes River, a nearby mountain group, and a state park bear his name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crook County Courthouse</span> Courthouse in Prineville, Oregon, United States

Crook County Courthouse is a courthouse located in Prineville, Oregon, United States. The present courthouse, built in 1909, replaced an earlier courthouse built in 1889. In November 2021, voters of Crook County, Oregon approved a bond measure to raise up to $35 million to build a new Justice Center on a different site.

References

  1. Its architect, doubtless a local man, is unknown.
  2. 1 2 "Walking Tour" Archived May 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine , Prineville Crook County Chamber of Commerce, www.visitprineville.com, Prineville, Oregon, 2008.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Bowman Museum" Archived January 30, 2009, at the Wayback Machine , A. R. Bowman Memorial Museum, Prineville Historical Society, Prineville, Oregon, 2008.
  4. 1 2 "Crook County Historical Society" Archived March 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine , A. R. Bowman Memorial Museum, Prineville Historical Society, Prineville, Oregon, 2008.
  5. "Preserving Oregon Grants" Archived 2009-02-25 at the Wayback Machine , The Progress Report (Volume 2, Issue 2), Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, Salem, Oregon, Spring 2001.
  6. "Crook County Bank Building", National Register of Historic Places, www.nationalregisterofhistoricalplaces.com, 18 February 2008.
  7. Images of America Prinville, Acadia Publishing, San Francisco, California, 2007, p. 42.
  8. 1 2 "Welcome to A.R. Bowman Memorial Museum", A. R. Bowman Memorial Museum, Prineville Historical Society, Prineville, Oregon, 2008.