First National Bank (Huntsville, Alabama) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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First National Bank
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The building in December 2009
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 Location in Alabama
Location in the United States
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| Location | West Side Sq., Huntsville, Alabama |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1835–1836 |
| Architect | George Steele |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 74000421 |
| Added to NRHP | October 25, 1974 |
The First National Bank building in Huntsville, Alabama, is a very old and important bank. It was built between 1835 and 1836. The building looks like an ancient Greek temple, a style called Greek Revival. A well-known local architect named George Steele designed it.
This bank building stands in a special spot. It faces the main courthouse square and sits on a small hill right above Big Spring. It was the longest-running bank building in Alabama. It served as a bank until 2010 when Regions Bank moved its office. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 because of its historical importance.
Contents
History of the First National Bank
The First National Bank building is on the west side of Courthouse Square. It sits on a bluff overlooking the Big Spring and Big Spring Park. This is the exact spot where John Hunt, who founded Huntsville, built his first cabin in 1805.
Early Banks in Alabama
The very first bank in what was then the Mississippi Territory was the Planters and Merchants Bank. It started in 1817. From 1818, this bank used a small brick building on the square. This building had been a store before. Even though many rich local people invested in it, the bank soon had too many loans and not enough money.
In 1822, Governor Israel Pickens ordered the bank to close. But legal fights kept it open until 1825. The bank's building later burned down sometime between 1828 and 1830.
The State Bank and Its Branches
Governor Pickens was re-elected in 1823. He promised to create a state bank. This bank was started in 1824 in the capital city, Cahaba. It moved to Tuscaloosa with the government in 1826. The state bank got its money from selling bonds and from state trust funds.
In 1832, new branches of the state bank opened in Mobile, Montgomery, and Decatur. Lawmakers from Huntsville felt left out because Decatur, a smaller and newer town, got a branch first. So, Huntsville lawmakers worked hard to get their own branch. They finally succeeded in 1835. The First National Bank building was finished the next year.
Challenges and Changes
Having more banks made it easier to borrow money. This helped cause a rush to buy land, known as Alabama Fever. The state government earned so much money from the banks that it stopped collecting state taxes. But these good times did not last long. The bank quickly got into trouble during the Panic of 1837, a big economic crisis.
Benjamin Fitzpatrick became governor in 1841. He promised to close the state bank. The bank's official permission to operate ended in 1844 and was not renewed. It took until 1853 to settle all the bank's debts.
In 1853, the Northern Bank of Alabama started in the old State Bank building. It operated until the Civil War. In 1862, Union troops took over Huntsville. During the war, the building was used as a place to store food and supplies for soldiers.
After the war, the National Bank of Huntsville was founded. It used money that had been hidden from Union troops inside the building. In 1889, the bank changed its name to the First National Bank of Huntsville. In 1971, First National joined with another bank to form the First Alabama Bank. First Alabama then changed its name to Regions Bank in 1992. Regions Bank used the building until February 2010. They moved to a bigger location and gave the historic building to a group that helps restore old buildings.
Architecture of the Bank Building
The First National Bank building marked a new direction in building design. This was true for its architect, George Steele, and for the whole North Alabama area. Before designing the bank, most of Steele's work was in the Federal style. This style was popular in the early 1800s.
Design and Features
Steele got ideas for his design from a trip to Washington, D.C. and Charlottesville, Virginia. The bank building looks similar to the Bank of Pennsylvania. Its inside layout is like the First Bank of the United States in Philadelphia. Both of these buildings were shown in popular design books of that time. Steele also designed the second Madison County Courthouse, which was another Greek Revival building. It was finished in 1840 and stood across from the bank.
The main part of the building is about 53 feet (16 meters) wide and 77 feet (23.5 meters) long. The front porch, called a hexastyle portico, and the front wall are made of limestone blocks from local quarries. The rest of the building is made of brick covered with stucco. The tall Ionic columns on the front support a simple top section, which only has the bank's name (currently Regions) on it.
The main entrance has two large doors, each about 15 feet (4.5 meters) tall. They are made of red cedar wood and have five square panels. Two smaller doors are on either side of the main door. These open directly into front offices. Each smaller door has a four-panel window above it, called a transom. These smaller doors were added in 1899. There used to be an iron railing balcony across the middle of the front, but it was removed sometime between 1934 and 1973.
The windows on the second floor and sides are sash windows. They have five narrow, vertical glass panes on top and two on the bottom. The first-floor windows on the sides have six panes on top and six on the bottom. The small dome, called a cupola, and the weather vane on top of the copper gable roof came from the second Madison County Courthouse. That courthouse was torn down in 1914.
Inside the Bank
When you enter the main doors, you step into a small entry area called a vestibule. Offices are on either side of this area. The vestibule leads into the main lobby. A large mahogany desk for the bank tellers divides this lobby. The tellers' desk has columns and a top section that look like the outside of the building.
Behind the desk are a room for the tellers and a room for the bank director. The bank vault is between these two rooms. The fireplace mantel in the director's room also has decorative columns, called Ionic pilasters, that look like the outside. A service room and a staircase are at the back of the building. The second floor used to be living quarters for the bank's cashier. This was a rule when the bank was built.
Building Additions
Behind the main building, on the southeast side, is a two-story section. This part of the building was originally used to house enslaved people. There are four rooms on each floor and four more in the basement. A covered walkway with a deck above it used to open onto a sidewalk. This walkway was enclosed, and access to the deck was removed after 1934.
The northwest side of the building was once an open courtyard looking over the Big Spring. But more parts have been added, and now buildings cover that whole area. The basement was used to house enslaved people who were held as collateral for loans by their owners. The windows on both floors on the Fountain Circle side are the same as the second-floor windows of the main building. A door to the basement was removed and replaced with a night deposit box for the bank.
