The seven-story Marion National Bank Street dominates the city’s National Register-listed downtown historic districtand shows the design influence of the famed Chicago skyscrapers built in early in the twentieth century.
In the impressive main hall on the ground floor, occupied until a couple of years ago by Regions Bank, ornate teller’s cages line up beneath a vaulted, ornate plaster ceiling supported by classical columns. The upper floors, empty for a decade, tell a different story. The leaking roof has damaged plaster and destabilized the ornate terra cotta cornice, with pieces falling to the sidewalk, threatening public safety. Thieves have stolen the copper plumbing pipes.
A Los Angeles investor owns the 1917 landmark and hasn’t invested in repairs. Before more terra cotta falls, the neglectful out-of-state owner needs to sell it. One more year of 10 Most Endangered pressure may help convince him to let go and allow the building a future.
Saving threatened buildings takes teamwork. You can be a part of that team. Reach out to local leaders. Let them know these buildings are important to you. And support state and local preservation groups.