First National Bank Building
Canyon, Randall County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1900, two years after the Santa Fe Railway extended its tracks from Amarillo to Canyon City, rancher and banker L.T. Lester established the Stockman's National bank; it became First National Bank of Canyon City in 1904. Lester commissioned St. louis architect R.G. Kirsch, designer of the Randall County courthouse, to design this showplace bank building. It was completed in 1909 and provided sace for the bank as well as other commercial enterprises. The bank moved out in 1951, and over the years other businesses occupied the space. The Neoclassical structure remains a commercial landmark. It features Doric colmuns and pilasters, a dentil course, and stone coping and window surrounds. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark-2005
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Two years after the Santa Fe Railway reached Canyon City in 1898, rancher-banker L.T. Lester opened the Stockman's National Bank, reorganized in 1904 as the First National Bank of Canyon City. To house it he hired St. Louis architect R.G. Kirsch—designer of the Randall County courthouse—whose 1909 Neoclassical building, with its Doric columns, pilasters, and dentil course, still commands the commercial district. Though the bank moved out in 1951, the showplace structure endured as a Panhandle landmark.
Why it matters
A cattle-country banker's decision to import a big-city architect shows how railroad prosperity gave even remote Texas Panhandle towns the confidence to build in the grand civic styles of the age.
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Related people
- · L.T. Lester
- · R.G. Kirsch
Themes & tags
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