Crook County Bank Building

The Crook County Bank Building is a historic bank building in Prineville, Oregon in the United States. It was built in 1910, the architect of the building is unknown. The building was first used by a bank and served as the office of an insurance agent later. In 1971 the ownership of the building on the Crook County, which used it as a local history museum. Today in the building the AR Bowman Memorial Museum is housed. Due to its importance for the history Prinevilles the Crook County Bank Building is on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

The Crook County Bank Building was built in 1910 and commissioned in 1911 in use. Over the years it housed three different banking institutions. It was first used by the Crook County Bank. This was replaced in 1923 by the Bank of Prineville. Following the insolvency of the bank during the Great Depression, the building was purchased by AR Bowman for his company. Bowman worked on titles and insurance and used the building from 1935 until his death in 1970.

Bowman's widow and his two daughters left the building in 1971 the Crook County for use as a museum. The Crook County Historical Society was transmitted through an agreement with the Countyverwaltung the responsibility for the operation of the AR Bowman Memorial Museum. Originally, the Museum of volunteers would be operated and the County paid the operating costs. The voters of the Crook County decided in 1976, 1988 and again in 1998 local taxes with which to pay the museum staff and operating costs was guaranteed. These funds also helped that the building was extensively renovated in 1992. For thatching the roof, the operator received in 2001 a grant from the State Historic Preservation Office of Oregon.

The former bank building is an outstanding example of the construction development Prinevilles at the beginning of the 20th century. Due to its importance for the history of the city and its individual architecture, the Crook County Bank Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 19, 1991.

Building

The Crook County Bank is located on the southeast corner of the intersection of Third and Main Street in Prineville, Oregon. It is a two story building in the style of Neo-Romanesque. It was built in 1910, where the units come from a quarry, which was located near the city. From the same quarry in 1909, the stones were brought to the construction of the Crook County Court Houses.

After the Crook County Historical Society came into possession of the building, they had to install a new staircase to the second floor, making the old wooden stairs were replaced at the eastern end of the building. The interior of the building was otherwise not significantly changed. On the first floor are still made ​​from the bronze teller with marble countertops, art glass, alabaster lamps and mahogany paneling, which were a feature of striving for prestige banking institutions during the first half of the 20th century.

Museum

Today in the former bank building a local museum is housed. The AR Bowman Memorial Museum is operated by the Crook County Historical Society and specializes in the history of Crook County and the center of Oregon. The original interior of the building has been exploited in the design of the museum. There are departments that deal with the City of Prineville Railroad and the local Holzfällindustrie and military history. Among the exhibits include furniture, clothing, photographs and objects from the pioneer days. The museum has about 700 books on the history of Oregon. A shop in the museum offers books on local history and souvenirs.