126.696.6

126.696.6
The Ames Trust & Savings Bank, later to become the First National Bank of Ames, was built on the southeast corner of Kellogg Avenue and Main Street and opened for business on December 6, 1913. Its first buildng was located on the same south side of Main to the east close to the Douglas Avenue corner. The bank, founded by Andrew James Graves in 1903, was originally named the Ames Savings Bank. At its new location, it operated dually as under a national charter as the Ames National Bank and under a state charter as the Ames Trust & Savings Bank. Harris W. Stafford was president of the bank from 1915 until his death in 1942. He was succeeded by his son Clayton W. Stafford who was president from 1942 until 1961. His son, Robert W. Stafford was president from 1968 until his retirement in 1985 (he continued to serve as chairman of the board until 2004). The bank became First National in 1965, moving to new buildings on Fifth and Kellogg in 1942 and to Fifth and Burnett in 1971. This photograph shows a stairway on the side of the bank building (on Kellogg Avenue); it led to a tearoom which operated under the bank. Beyond the bank is seen Tallman Jewelry, owned by Lowell C. Tallmann, a charter member of the Ames Rotary Club. Next to the jewelery shop is a small part of the Fair Store. Parked in front of the bank is a Ford Runabout and beyond it, a Ford Model T touring car. (After the bank moved to its third location, the windows seen here on the first floor of the Kellogg side were bricked in. In December of 1987, the building--then occupied by Ames Stationers--was partially destroyed by fire. It was rebuilt as a one-story building. Today [2005] the building is occupied by the Quilt Connection.
Citation: 126.696.6
Year: 1915