Citizen's State Bank, Northwest corner of Main & Seminole Streets, Marble City

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS OKLA,68-MARCI,1-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The vernacular commercial building built during Marble City's boom years is the most pretentious building in the town, having rock-faced stone walls. An unusual front entrance was built into the corner of the building, with a single Doric column supporting the second floor. PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History:" 1. Date of erection: Not known, but the building was built between and 2. Architect: Not known. 3. Original and subsequent owners: Reference for the following is to the Office of the Clerk of Sequoyah County, Sequoyah County Courthouse, Salisaw, Oklahoma: Transfer of the title of the property, lot 19 of block 35 on the Marble City Townsite map, appears only twice in index book 6 of Sequoyah County.

Earlier indexes could not be found at the time of the examination of book 6. There is at present no knowledge of their existence, but there is some likelihood of finding them if they have not been destroyed. The present owner, Ms. Waneva Thomas, claims to be in possession of an abstract of title for the property, but is unable to locate it at present. General Warranty Deed John Esta Kirk to Dina Kirk 27 February recorded, Book 216 page 66 CITIZEN'S STATE BANK HABS No. OK-30 (Page 2) General Warranty Deed Dina and Bobby Kirk- to Waneva Thomas 23 April recorded 5 May Book 216 page 588 B. Historical Context: In the century Marble City was originally known as Kedron.

The town served as the post office of Dwight Mission from until the Civil War, It re-opened in In Kedron became Marble, and in was known as Marble City. After the turn of the century it became the Mission's nearest town, 2 to 3 miles north of it. Huge marble deposits were discovered in the vicinity of Marble City in the turn of the century. This discovery presented an opportunity for economic growth of the town, and it resulted in the formation of the Marble City Townsite Company by E. B. Guthrey and Associates in Land was surveyed by the company, and a lottery quickly sold out lots. Old timers remember the sale as a sensational one. Immediately the town's first hotel was built, and a newspaper, the Marble City Enterprise was established.

By the town was expanding rapidly, with new buildings being built to accommodate the growing population. However, the much-sought growth was to be short-lived. Adverse factors, namely poor roads, poor productivity and stiff business competition, gradually paralyzed the growth. The town soon faded into a less prosperous one. PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION A. General Statement: 1. Architectural character: The building is a representative example of vernacular commercial architecture with a few classical elements. 2. Condition of fabric: Fair; several sash have been broken and boarded up, and the roof leaks. The building has remained unoccupied for some time. B, Description of Exterior: 1.

Over-all dimensions: The two-story, rectangular-shaped building measures 25* (two-bay front) x 60'-l-i/2". The side (south) elevation is divided into six bays. 2, Foundations; The low foundation is of coursed rubble limestone, approximately 18 inches thick laid on large bed rocks. CITIZEN'S STATE BANK HABS No. OK-30 (Page 3) 3. Walls: Ohe front and left sides of the building are of random ashlar limestone. The right side, a party wall, is of red brick laid in common bond, an<3 the rear wall is of coursed rubble limestone. A wide smooth limestone water table marks the first floor level along the bottom of the left (south) wall. 4.

Structural system, framing: The brick and stone bearing walls carry the 2" x 6" floor and ceiling joists which ae laid parallel to the front facade on 18" centers. Four 8" square marble columns in a row midway through the span of the first floor and four 8" square wood columns likewise in a row directly above the second floor aid in carrying the loads of floor and roof. 5. Porch: A corner front porch is created by the diagonal first floor entrance. A single Doric column of "marble," actually soft white limestone, carries the second floor corner. 6. Chimney: Ihere is one chimney, of brick, in common bond, rising above the party wall approximately two thirds of the length of the building from the front. 7. Openings: a.

Doorways and doors: The double front doors, each having a single pane-over-two panels, painted white, have been largely covered with corrugated metal. The side door, sixth bay from the front, at the first floor level, is a five-cross panel door, likewise painted white, and covered. b. Windows: Ihe windows have double-hung wooden sash, each with a single light. Roof: a. Shape, covering: The roof is a flat shed, draining to the rear, and is tar covered. b. Cornice, eaves: There is an attempt at a cornice: four courses of narrow (three-inch) slabs of limestone, corbeled atop the front and left side walls. C. Description of Interior: 1.

Floor plans: The front doors, in the left front corner of the first floor of the building, open immediately into the main banking room, whose wooden partitions and teller's cages have since been disassembled, and lie in a pile upstairs. At the rear of this long and narrow room is the vault room. To the left of the latter is the side entrance vestibule, with the stairs to the second floor. Upstairs, there is a single room, almost completely bare, used for storage. CITIZEN'S STATE BANK HABS No. OK-30 {Page 4) 2. Stairways: The single, open string wooden staircase leads from inside the side entrance vestibule to the second floor in a single flight. It has a short molded handrail, supported by the twin turned balusters at the bottom of the stairs. 3.

Flooring: The first floor is of poured concrete throughout, painted gray. The flooring of the second floor is 4" tongue-and-groove boards, unpainted. 4. Wall and ceiling finish: The ceiling of the first floor is coffered stamped metal, probably tin, painted white. The walls are of painted plaster. The vault has walls and ceiling of concrete; the vestibule at the rear of the building has walls of plaster on sawn lath and a ceiling of novelty boards. Upstairs, the walls are exposed brick and stone, painted white, and the ceiling is of the unfinished side of the 6" tongue-and-groove roof decking. 5. Doorways and doors: There is one door enframed in plain board trim with a five-cross panel door, between the banking room and the rear vestibule.

The safe door is of steel, made by the Moseler Safe Company, in a plain steel frame, painted green. 6. Lighting: Incandescent lighting fixtures were used. D. Site: 1. General setting and orientation: The building faces due east, on a corner lot of the junction of the two principal streets in a small country railroad town. The bank is the most architecturally pretentious building in town. 2, Historic landscape design: The only landscape device evident is the broken concrete sidewalk which was laid in front and to the side of the bank. It is the only sidewalk in town. PART III. SOURCES OF INFORMATION A.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS OKLA,68-MARCI,1-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

1. Primary and unpublished sources: Property Deed Records. Clerk of Sequoyah County, Sequoyah County Courthouse, Salisaw, Oklahoma. 2. Secondary and published sources: Campbell, 0. B. Mission to the Cherokees. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Metro Press, Inc., p. CITIZEN'S STATE BANK HABS No. OK-30 (Page 5) PART IV. PROJECT INFORMATION The project was undertaken by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) in cooperation with the Oklahoma Historical Society and the Cherokee National Historical Society. Under the direction of John Poppeliers, Chief of HABS, the project was completed during the summer of at the HABS Field Office on the campus of Northeastern Oklahoma State University, Tahlequah, Oklahoma, by Michael A. Tomlan (Cornell University), Project Supervisor; John D.

Hnedak (Cornell University), Project Historian; Bethanie C, Grashof (University of Florida), Vickie J. Higgins (University of Cincinnati), Nicholas H. Holmes III (Auburn University) and Roger D. Swayze (University of Oregon), student assistant architects. The written descriptive data was edited for permanent HABS collection at the Library of Congress by Susan McCown, a HABS staff historian in the Washington, office, in the winter of Walter Smalling, of Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service, U.S. Department of the Interior took the documentary photos of the building in October of