Historic Hood River
First National Bank Lobby
4-19-2012
Notes
When the First National Bank opened its offices at the NW corner of Oak and Third, it was the third corner of that intersection to house a bank. We see Mace Baldwin, Copley Hinrichs, Kay Sinclair, E.O. Blanchar and V.E. Brock.
The image is marked “1910” which is the year the building opened, but if the calendar stating “Friday June 20th” is accurate it is more likely this image is from 1913. I’m curious about the open satchel of what appear to be gold ingots sitting on the floor. Free ingot with each new account?
Charlott
Quite a ‘ritzy’ bank for a small little farm town like Hood River.
I bet that is real marble along the edge of the floor and front of counter. I love that old phone sitting on the counter.
Yes, for a free ingot I would gladly open an account with my pennies.
William C. Seaton
The lay out of this lobby was fundamentally the same when I opened my first savings account there in 1946. Irene McConn was my teller. But I didn’t get an ingot, I got a little bank that looked a book and the only way to get your coins back out of it was to take it into the bank where they would deposited them for you.
Arthur
Great memory, William. I remember my mom taking me to deposit $5 to open my first "passbook savings account." They gave me a little book which looked like a passport and every transaction was inscribed in it by a fancy little machine. Going to the bank had something of a ceremonial aspect to it back then (1960’s for me).
nels
Price of gold in 1910 and 1913 was $18.92.
Jay
I banked there in the late 1980s when it was Wells Fargo. The tellers still lined up along the same side, although the bank had been modernized substantially. Still, I’d be curious to see a photo from the 80s to see what, if anything, remained then – perhaps the ceiling architecture was all. They had certainly cleaned up the ingots. (I changed banks when WF moved to Safeway, needless to say.)
Kate D
Researching for Cemetary Tales 2011:
First National Bank of Hood River was the only bank in Hood River NOT to close during the Depression.
On the Board: Amby Blowers and Ezra Smith (both Masons)
l.e.
I think 1913 was the last year for Gold Certificates. Maybe people were turning in their certificates in exchange for gold.
jenn ashley
My sister and I lived in this bank every Saturday. My dad was operations officer and worked every Saturday repairing some machine that broke every week. We tore that place up winging each other around on wheeled chairs, playing teller, and putting money into the change adding machines.
l.e.
Photo #284 looks older, but I don’t think the men look older. I think they look the same.
They aren’t dressed the same though. V.C. Brock has a different tie.
Linda Davis
Wow! One of those men is my grandfather. Wonderful find!