Ladora Savings Bank facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Ladora Savings Bank
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Street view
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 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
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| Location | 811 Pacific St., Ladora, Iowa, United States |
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| Built | 1920 |
| Architect | William Lightner, Charles B. Zalesky |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 90001196 |
| Added to NRHP | August 3, 1990 |
The Ladora Savings Bank is a special old building in Ladora, Iowa, United States. It was built in 1920. This building was once a bank, but it closed during a tough time called the Great Depression. After that, it became home to many different businesses. Today, it's a restaurant called the Ladora Bank Bistro. This historic building has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1990.
Building Design of Ladora Bank
The Ladora Savings Bank was designed by William Lightner and Charles B. Zalesky. It's a strong building made of masonry (like bricks or stone). Its style is called Classical Revival. This means it looks like ancient Greek or Roman buildings.
The front of the building has two large Doric columns. These are tall, round pillars with simple tops, common in old Greek buildings. The sides of the bank have several tall windows.
Inside, the bank had some unusual features for its time. It included restrooms, which were not common in banks back then. The bank even told customers about these restrooms when it first opened.
Other cool features inside were marble counters and wooden floors. There were also paintings on the walls. To keep money safe, huge vaults were built. Many of these original features have been brought back to life during recent updates.
History of the Ladora Bank Building
The Ladora Savings Bank building officially opened on July 26, 1920. The bank managed to stay open through the difficult economic times of the 1920s. However, it could not survive the Great Depression. This was a period in the 1930s when many businesses and banks closed. The Ladora Savings Bank closed on July 27, 1931.
Even after the bank closed, the building remained important to Ladora. It served as a community center at different times. During World War II, it had an office for the Red Cross. Later, during the Cold War, it was used as a civil defense shelter. For many years, it was also a polling place where people voted.
The building also housed various businesses. It was an office for an insurance salesman and later for an attorney. It was also an antique shop for a while. Truck drivers traveling on U.S. Route 6 even used it as a rest area. Because of its special design, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places during this time.
Reopening as a Restaurant
After being empty for some years, the bank building was bought in October 2004. A businessman named Dimitri Makedonsky purchased it. He also owned other properties nearby.
Dimitri began to fix up the building. He replaced the roof and changed the inside layout. Slowly, he made the interior look like a bank from the 1920s again. He wanted to open a restaurant there.
He worked on several main rooms. The old restrooms no longer worked, so they were turned into museum rooms. The bank's very large vault became a cozy lounge area. The new restaurant opened its doors on May 15, 2008. For over ten years, it was known as The Ladora Bank Bistro. Now, the building is home to a restaurant called Caucus Bistro, which has a theme related to the Iowa Caucus.
