The Citizens Bank of Attica Building  

The building at 6 Main Street was constructed in 1912 by the new Citizens Bank of Attica. The bank was founded to fill a void in the local financial community created by the failure in late 1910 of the firm of J. H. Loomis & Son, Bankers, of Attica.

The new Citizens Bank purchased some of the assets of the failed Loomis institution, including the center building of the Winters Block, which had housed Loomis' offices and a jewelery store operated by Edward Holl. The Winters Block dates back to the early 1830's, and was constructed of red brick with Greek revival elements and a Second Empire roofline. The flanking buildings of the block still remain, although much altered. They originally had mansard roofs, as did the central section. On the west, the offices of Kibbe, King and Moran, attorneys, and Hans Moeller Jewelers, and on the east, Jams Music, occupy those structures. 

The Citizens Bank building is of three stories, faced with brown textured brick with concrete ornamentation. Built in a vernacular style, it has a number of Colonial Revival features, including the columns flanking the entrance, the pediment over the entrance, the pilasters on the first floor facade, the pediment topped by a concrete globe, arched windows on the third floor, and a symetrical organization of the facade.

6 Main Street in 1912
                              6 Main Street About 1912

It was constructed by Wesley Ranger of Attica, who operated the Attica Planing Mill, the predecessor firm to today's Attica Lumber Company. The bank is known to have engaged an architect, but the identity of that person cannot be confirmed. Based on knowledge of Mr. Ranger's operations, and similarity of details to other structures he was known to have designed, it is likely that he acted as architect for the project as well as general contractor.

6 Main Street About 1913                               6 Main Street About 1913

The new bank intended its new home to communicate two strong messages about its operations to allay any concerns of the community shaken by the Loomis bank failure: that it was physically secure and was financially sound. The vault, which projected ten feet into the banking area, was constructed of five sheets of half inch steel and had its own separate foundation. The banking area's woodwork was solid mahogany, with marble teller cages and marble baseboards in customer-accessible areas. The ceilings are twelve feet high, and the huge display windows make the whole space very bright and airy. As a gauge to the success of the Citizens Bank's plan, the rival Bank of Attica, which occupied a commercial space across the street, tore down their building and constructed a new fortress-like banking structure (now Attica Pool and Spa, LLC) just two years after our building opened.