Banking on New Use

Since 1991, Indiana Landmarks’ annual 10 Most Endangered list has highlighted properties we think are too important to lose. Our track record is good – nearly 90% of the places on the list are no longer endangered. We’re seeking a similarly positive outcome for Marion’s old National Bank, but the landmark experiences escalating deterioration.

Built in 1917, the seven-story building anchors the corner of Washington and Sherman Streets in Marion’s downtown National Register-listed historic district. Sheathed in white glazed terra cotta, with an ornate entry and cornice, the Classical Revival building shows the design influence of famed Chicago skyscrapers constructed in the early twentieth century.

A leaking roof has damaged plaster ceilings on the upper floors and destabilized the cornice, sending chunks falling to the sidewalk. Concerned about public safety, city officials have barricaded sidewalks around the building.

Loosened by water infiltration from a leaking roof, sections of terra cotta are falling from the building’s facade.

The main floor—occupied until last year by Regions Bank—remains an impressive space with a vaulted ceiling supported by massive classical columns and ornate teller cages. Hand painted murals, terrazzo floors, marble partitions and massive bronze light fixtures finish out the remarkably intact bank lobby. The upper floors, vacant for at least a decade, show the damage caused by long-term roof leaks. Office space formerly occupied by prominent lawyers, doctors and accountants now suffers falling plaster, moldy carpets and dank odors. Within the past year, thieves have damaged plaster walls to steal copper plumbing pipes.

The Los Angeles investor who owns the structure has not made urgently needed repairs. City officials in Marion have offered to help market the building for redevelopment. The local preservation nonprofit, Save Our Stories (SOS) is advocating for mixed use, including senior housing on the upper floors. Because the building is in the National Register, renovation of the structure could qualify federal tax credits that would help offset construction costs.

For more information, contact David Homer at SOS, 765-251-0040, dhomer@grantcounty.net.