National Bank of Rolla Building

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National Bank of Rolla Building
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location: Rolla, Missouri
Coordinates: 37°56′59″N 91°46′16″W / 37.94972, -91.77111Coordinates: 37°56′59″N 91°46′16″W / 37.94972, -91.77111
Built/Founded: 1931
Architect: Johnson and Maack; Gillioz, M.E.
Architectural style(s): Colonial Revival
Added to NRHP: December 28, 2001
NRHP Reference#: 01001380
Governing body: Private

The National Bank of Rolla Building was opened in March of 1931 at 8th and Pine Streets in Rolla, MO, and was home to the National Bank of Rolla (1870's-1933) on the northwest corner of the first floor and the Edwin Long Hotel (1931-1970's) in the remainder of the building. The building consisted of a basement, which served as the College Inn banquet hall with a capacity of 350, 75 hotel rooms for guests, and the Edwin Long Coffee Shop for daily dining. The hotel was located adjacent to U.S. Route 66 which was contiguous with the building, as U.S. Route 66 ran directly through Rolla, MO on 8th Street.

Daily room rates were $2.00 for a single bed and $3.00 for a double bed with each room having a tub and shower and radiant heat. The Edwin Long Hotel operated from 1931 until the early 1970's when the building was purchased by the Phelps County Bank for the headquarters of their banking operation. The hotel's business slowly declined as Route 66 (now I-44) moved from its downtown location in the late 1950s to its present location on the northern outskirts of Rolla.

The First National Bank of Rolla was liquidated in 1933 during the depression and Rolla State Bank occupied the NW corner of the first floor of the building until 1963 when Phelps County Bank began business in the building and continues to operate in the same location at the present time. The building was restored on the exterior in 2001 and Phelps County Bank currently occupies the entire building, with the bank lobby on the first floor, the loan department on the second floor, bookkeeping on the third floor, and executive offices on the fourth floor. The basement currently serves as a large board room and meeting room for bank functions.

The First National Bank building has served as a center stone for downtown commerce in Rolla, MO since the 1930's and continues to provide financial services to the Phelps County area. Over the years many famous people have been guests in the hotel, such as President Harry Truman, Marilyn Monroe, and Victor Mature. The hotel served as the premier resting place for guests traveling through Rolla on Route 66 and on the Frisco Railroad during 1930s, 1940's and 1950's until railroad service stopped in the early 1960's and the advent of the motels on Route 66 (I-44) during 1950s and 1960's.

[edit] References

  1. Bradbury, John F. Rolla the Old Town. 2002.
  2. Clair V Mann Collection. University of MO-Rolla Archives.
  3. The New Hotel Edwin Long. 1931.
  4. Rolla Daily News 20 May 2001.
  5. Rolla, Missouri, the Convention City of the Ozarks. Rolla Chamber of Commerce, 1931.
  6. The Rolla New Era 13 Mar. 1931.
  7. The Rolla New Era 14 Nov. 1930.
  8. The Rolla New Era 17 Mar. 1931.
  9. The Rolla New Era 19 Dec. 1930.
  10. The Rolla New Era 24 Oct. 1930.
  11. The Rolla New Era 26 Sept. 1930.
  12. St Louis Globe Democrat Magazine 12 Oct. 1952.
  13. "The Early Years of Route 66." The Phelps County Historical Society Oct. 1993.
  14. "Total Customer Service - Phelps County Bank." Inc: the Magazine for Growing Companies Jan. 1994.
  15. United States Department of the Interior. National Register of Historic Places. 2001.
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