Plano National Bank/I.O.O.F. Lodge Building
Plano, Collin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
After a building they shared was destroyed by fire in 1895, the Plano National Bank (est. 1887) and the I.O.O.F. (Odd Fellows) Lodge (est. 1870) erected this commercial building here in 1896. In 1936 the structure was redesigned by architect/builder Abe Cain with art deco detailing. The building was remodeled in 1958 but a 1980s restoration project returned it to its 1936 art deco appearance. Prominent features include Czechoslovakian black Carrara glass. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1993
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
After fire destroyed the building they shared in 1895, the Plano National Bank and the Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.) Lodge rebuilt together in 1896, joining commerce and fraternal life under one roof. In 1936 architect Abe Cain gave the structure a striking art deco makeover—complete with Czechoslovakian black Carrara glass—a look a 1980s restoration later reclaimed. The building charts a small Texas town's evolution from Gilded Age main street to modern era.
Why it matters
Buildings that housed both banks and fraternal lodges reflect the twin pillars—finance and mutual aid—that organized civic life in small-town America before the modern welfare state.
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Related people
- · Abe Cain
Themes & tags
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