A local couple recently bought a historic but deteriorated bank building in downtown Carterville, Missouri, and plan to eventually turn it into a residential and retail center.
Brock and Courtney Powell of Carterville purchased the former First National Bank building at 301 Main St. (aka Route 66) about two months ago, reported the Joplin Globe.
Brock Powell is a contractor, so he has experience in repairing old structures. It’s been vacant at least 10 years, and article makes it clear he has a big job on his hands:
A wind storm about six or seven years ago badly damaged the roof, he said, and after that exposure to the elements began taking a toll on the rest of the structure. Rain and snow eventually caused the third floor to collapse onto the second floor, which in turn collapsed onto the ground floor, leaving large piles of wood and debris throughout.
But Powell said that despite the debris and the apparent disarray, the building is in remarkable good shape.
“It’s your typical 115-year-old building,” he said.
Powell said after he clears debris from the building, he’ll begin restoring the roof and replacing broken windows. After that, he’ll gut the interior for new wiring and plumbing. All told, the work will take two to five years.
The Powells say the top two floors will be made into apartments. The first floor probably will be retail, although they’re not sure what. A coffeehouse is one of the ideas his children batted around.
Property records unearthed by Powell show W.H. Daugherty constructed the building in 1901. The owner envisioned it as two-story building, but added a third shortly when the local Masonic lodge said it wanted space there.
According to one book, the bank also once served as the town’s post office and part of the nearby Carterville Hotel. The marble counters, grillwork and mahogany fixtures from the bank and post office ended up at the Har-Ber Village Museum in Grove, Oklahoma.
(Image of the First National Bank building of Carterville, Mo., via Google Street View excerpt)