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People's State Bank (Orangeville, Illinois)
Encyclopedia
The People's State Bank building is located in the Stephenson County
village of Orangeville
, Illinois
, United States
. The structure was erected in 1926 when two Orangeville bank
s merged to form the People's State Bank. It operated until 1932 when it became overwhelmed by an economic disaster caused by the Great Depression
and the bypassing of downtown Orangeville by an important route. The building is cast in the Commercial style and features Classical Revival detailing, common for banks of the time period. The building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
in 2004.
, about two miles (3 km) from the Illinois
–Wisconsin
border in Stephenson County, Illinois
. The building is located in the primary business district, along High and Main Streets, in downtown Orangeville. High Street slopes uphill from the Richland Creek and is populated by historic, 19th century buildings. At the summit of High Street's slope is the Central House
, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In total, four of the five structures on the National Register in Orangeville, are found along High Street; the Union House
and the Orangeville Masonic Hall are the other two. Other historic buildings in the approximately three block area include the 1888 Musser Building, and the 1906 Wagner Building.
s in Orangeville merged. The area had enjoyed success as a commercial hub in the years preceding the bank's construction. In 1928, just before the onset of the Great Depression
, Illinois State Highway 74 (later Illinois Route 26
) was rerouted through the eastern part of Orangeville, bypassing the downtown business district
. Though the district no longer had a major thoroughfare passing through it many of the business were able to survive, at least initially. By 1928 the decline in the business community of Orangeville was evident; the bypass, coupled with the depression continued to negatively affect the village. In 1932 the People's State Bank, the last open bank in Orangeville, closed its doors.
The American Legion
Post #720 bought the bank building after its closure and it served as the American Legion Meeting Hall until 1956. A group of local residents purchased the building in 1956 with the intention of restarting a bank in Orangeville. Until 1980, the People's State Bank building once again operated as a financial institution under the name Orangeville Community Bank. A radio
repair and sales business bought the structure in 1980 and held it until the business closed, leaving the premises vacant, in August 2002. An organization called A Community Together bought the bank from the radio business and in turn sold it to John and Caryl Buford in October 2003.
The People's State Bank was cast in the commercial style of architecture and has detailing heavily influenced by Classical Revival, a popular style for bank buildings at the time. The building,a one-story structure, stands on a concrete
foundation with 12 inch
(30 cm) thick walls, and a full basement. The Classical detailing is emphasized through the use of brick
, glass
, and concrete throughout the building. The simple design exhibits several Classical Revival influences, among them: its masonry construction, giving it a sturdy appearance, its symmetry
, the brick divides on the wall which resemble pilaster
s, and the semi circular fanlight
s on the above the east and west facade windows. The size of the interior lobby
further emphasized the feeling of solidity, which banks wished to convey to their customers.
The 30 foot (9 m) by 64 foot (20 m) rectangular building is composed of brick and features terrazzo
flooring. The building is the most ornate of the commercial buildings in downtown Orangeville and is situated on the area's second highest lot. The main entrance, a large wooden, glass paneled door, is recessed and central on the symmetrical south (front) facade of the building. The original door is surrounded by sidelight
s and topped by a diamond patterned transom
window. Flanking the central doorway on each side is a one over one window, each displaying the same diamond patterned transoms as the door.
, Illinois
. Prior to World War II Classical architecture was popular in commercial and civic buildings and the People's State Bank provides an example of a one-story, stand alone commercial style block building adorned with Classical details. For its architectural significance the People's State Bank building was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
on August 20, 2004.
Stephenson County, Illinois
As of the census of 2000, there were 48,979 people, 19,785 households, and 13,473 families residing in the county. The population density was 87 people per square mile . There were 21,713 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...
village of Orangeville
Orangeville, Illinois
Orangeville is a village in Stephenson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 793 at the 2010 census, up from 751 at the 2000 census. The area's earliest white settlers arrived in 1833 and the village was platted in 1851 by John Bower, who is considered the village founder. In 1867...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The structure was erected in 1926 when two Orangeville bank
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
s merged to form the People's State Bank. It operated until 1932 when it became overwhelmed by an economic disaster caused by the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and the bypassing of downtown Orangeville by an important route. The building is cast in the Commercial style and features Classical Revival detailing, common for banks of the time period. The building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2004.
Location
The People's State Bank is located in the 800 person village of OrangevilleOrangeville, Illinois
Orangeville is a village in Stephenson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 793 at the 2010 census, up from 751 at the 2000 census. The area's earliest white settlers arrived in 1833 and the village was platted in 1851 by John Bower, who is considered the village founder. In 1867...
, about two miles (3 km) from the Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
–Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
border in Stephenson County, Illinois
Stephenson County, Illinois
As of the census of 2000, there were 48,979 people, 19,785 households, and 13,473 families residing in the county. The population density was 87 people per square mile . There were 21,713 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...
. The building is located in the primary business district, along High and Main Streets, in downtown Orangeville. High Street slopes uphill from the Richland Creek and is populated by historic, 19th century buildings. At the summit of High Street's slope is the Central House
Central House (Orangeville, Illinois)
Central House is an 1860s hotel building located in the 800 person village of Orangeville, in Stephenson County, Illinois, United States. The building was built by Orangeville founder John Bower and operated as a hotel from its construction until the 1930s when it was converted for use as a...
, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In total, four of the five structures on the National Register in Orangeville, are found along High Street; the Union House
Union House
The Union House, also known as the John Bower House, is a small, mostly Gothic Revival house in downtown Orangeville, Illinois, United States. The house, the first brick home in Orangeville, was built in 1849 by village founder John Bower. It was purchased by Samuel Hutchins in 1885 and it remained...
and the Orangeville Masonic Hall are the other two. Other historic buildings in the approximately three block area include the 1888 Musser Building, and the 1906 Wagner Building.
History
The People's State Bank building was constructed in 1926 when the two of the three state bankBank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
s in Orangeville merged. The area had enjoyed success as a commercial hub in the years preceding the bank's construction. In 1928, just before the onset of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, Illinois State Highway 74 (later Illinois Route 26
Illinois Route 26
Illinois Route 26 is a north–south state road in central and north-central Illinois. It runs from Illinois Route 116 just north of East Peoria to Highway 69 at the Wisconsin border near Orangeville. This is a distance of .- Route description :...
) was rerouted through the eastern part of Orangeville, bypassing the downtown business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
. Though the district no longer had a major thoroughfare passing through it many of the business were able to survive, at least initially. By 1928 the decline in the business community of Orangeville was evident; the bypass, coupled with the depression continued to negatively affect the village. In 1932 the People's State Bank, the last open bank in Orangeville, closed its doors.
The American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
Post #720 bought the bank building after its closure and it served as the American Legion Meeting Hall until 1956. A group of local residents purchased the building in 1956 with the intention of restarting a bank in Orangeville. Until 1980, the People's State Bank building once again operated as a financial institution under the name Orangeville Community Bank. A radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
repair and sales business bought the structure in 1980 and held it until the business closed, leaving the premises vacant, in August 2002. An organization called A Community Together bought the bank from the radio business and in turn sold it to John and Caryl Buford in October 2003.
Architecture
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
foundation with 12 inch
Inch
An inch is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, and United States customary units. There are 36 inches in a yard and 12 inches in a foot...
(30 cm) thick walls, and a full basement. The Classical detailing is emphasized through the use of brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
, glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
, and concrete throughout the building. The simple design exhibits several Classical Revival influences, among them: its masonry construction, giving it a sturdy appearance, its symmetry
Symmetry
Symmetry generally conveys two primary meanings. The first is an imprecise sense of harmonious or aesthetically pleasing proportionality and balance; such that it reflects beauty or perfection...
, the brick divides on the wall which resemble pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s, and the semi circular fanlight
Fanlight
A fanlight is a window, semicircular or semi-elliptical in shape, with glazing bars or tracery sets radiating out like an open fan, It is placed over another window or a doorway. and is sometimes hinged to a transom. The bars in the fixed glazed window spread out in the manner a sunburst...
s on the above the east and west facade windows. The size of the interior lobby
Lobby (room)
A lobby is a room in a building which is used for entry from the outside. Sometimes referred to as a foyer or an entrance hall.Many office buildings, hotels and skyscrapers go to great lengths to decorate their lobbies to create the right impression....
further emphasized the feeling of solidity, which banks wished to convey to their customers.
The 30 foot (9 m) by 64 foot (20 m) rectangular building is composed of brick and features terrazzo
Terrazzo
Terrazzo is a composite material poured in place or precast, which is used for floor and wall treatments. It consists of marble, quartz, granite, glass or other suitable chips, sprinkled or unsprinkled, and poured with a binder that is cementitious, chemical or a combination of both...
flooring. The building is the most ornate of the commercial buildings in downtown Orangeville and is situated on the area's second highest lot. The main entrance, a large wooden, glass paneled door, is recessed and central on the symmetrical south (front) facade of the building. The original door is surrounded by sidelight
Sidelight
A sidelight is a window, usually with a vertical emphasis, that flanks a door. Sidelights are narrow, usually stationary and found immediately adjacent doorways...
s and topped by a diamond patterned transom
Transom (architectural)
In architecture, a transom is the term given to a transverse beam or bar in a frame, or to the crosspiece separating a door or the like from a window or fanlight above it. Transom is also the customary U.S. word used for a transom light, the window over this crosspiece...
window. Flanking the central doorway on each side is a one over one window, each displaying the same diamond patterned transoms as the door.
Significance
The People's State Bank was the last major commercial building constructed in historic downtown OrangevilleOrangeville, Illinois
Orangeville is a village in Stephenson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 793 at the 2010 census, up from 751 at the 2000 census. The area's earliest white settlers arrived in 1833 and the village was platted in 1851 by John Bower, who is considered the village founder. In 1867...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. Prior to World War II Classical architecture was popular in commercial and civic buildings and the People's State Bank provides an example of a one-story, stand alone commercial style block building adorned with Classical details. For its architectural significance the People's State Bank building was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on August 20, 2004.