Will Remodel bank Building

At a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Citizens National Bank, yesterday afternoon, a contract was awarded to John F. Bailey & Bro., of Doylestown, Pa., to remodel their bank building, corner Main and Second streets, town.

The building will undergo extensive improvements. A new front of Indiana limestone will be erected, the banking rooms will be made larger by adding the rooms now occupied by the Union Store Co., and will be equipped with a new fire and burglar proof vault as well as new up-to-date furniture and office equipment.

The Long’s Music House will vacate the room they now occupy to establish quarters for the banking business during the alteration period. The Union Store Co., will have temporary quarters in the rear of their present space and after all improvements have been completed, will occupy the store room now used by Long’s Music House.

Work will be started soon.

Source: The Slatington News, 6 March 1930

New Banking Rooms Ready, Inspection Saturday

The remodeling of the building of the Citizen’s National Bank of Slatington has made quite a change in the painted brick building which has been standing since 1885 and has been used by the bank since its incorporation in 1901, opening for business February 1st, 1920 with the following Directors and Officers

...

The exterior of the building has been faced with Buff Indiana limestone, the entire height of the building above a base of Deer Island granite. The old wooden window frames, etc., have been replaced with metal frames and sash. The one store-room which remains has an attractive new front and will be occupied by the Union Store Co. While the same building occupies this corner it is hardly recognizable.

MacKenzie and Wiley, of 517 Bankers Trust Building, Philadelphia, were the Architects and John S. Bailey and Brother of Doylestown, Pa., were the general contractors for the work of remodeling. The floor space covers about 3,000 square feet, or a little more than twice the space occupied formerly. The Banking room proper if 41x13 feet, with a center public space, on either side of which are three wickets for Tellers, Savings Accounts, Christmas Club, etc., and a special low wicket for the use of children. The floor of the public space and entrance vestibule is of pink Tennessee marble and the banking screen is of imported Comblanchien Belgian Marble and Bronze of the new low type. The counters back of the screen re metal, furnished in mahogany. The marble, bronze metal counters, bronze check desks and lighting fixtures were furnished by the Wilkinson Equipment Co., of Philadelphia. The electrical work and he installation of the electrical fixtures was done by the local electricians, the Slatington Electrical Company.

In the front part of the banking rooms are private offices for the president and cashier, and adjoining each is an open officer’s space, separated from the public space by low bronze railings. Next to the entrance vestibule is a Ladies’ Room for the use of customers.

A modern vault 9 feet by 16 feet, is located in the centre of the rear part of the banking room, separated from the public space by bronze grilles and gate. The walls, floor and ceiling of the vault are constructed of 18 inch thick, especially reinforced concrete, and is lined on all faces with steel plates. The door is of solid steel, 12 inches in thickness, and is modern in every respect, affording those persons having Safe Deposit Boxes, ample and safe protection for their valuables. The vault is separated into two parts by means of a polished steel grille, the rear part being for the bank’s use and is provided with money and security chests in addition to a burglar proof safe with time lock attachment. The front part of the vault is for the Safe Deposit Boxes, 500 new ones of assorted sizes having been installed, which are for rent at a low annual cost. For the protection of anyone who might become locked in the vault there has been installed a fine Vault Ventilator which brings in fresh air and ejects foul air, so that one may remain inside safe until the door has been opened.

An “After Hour Depository” for the convenience of customers desiring to make deposits after banking hours has also been provided. All the vault work was manufactured and installed by the Mosler Safe Co. of Hamilton, Ohio. The vault is protected by an O. B. McClintock Co., Burglar Alarm System, which is extended to various parts of the bank to give the alarm in case of a daylight hold-up. The Board of Directors room is on one side of the vault and a fire-proof Book Vault, Men’s Room and stairway on the other. The draperies for the entire first floor were furnished by Hess Bros., of Allentown, PA., and are of a soft, green shade making a pleasing contrast to the rich ivory color of the walls. The plaster cornices and wood trim are painted in a light cream and the doors are of genuine mahogany the work having been done by the painter and decorator, Clinton V. Dorward, of Slatington, Pa. The furniture is of walnut, upholstered with leather, with the exception of the Directors’ room which is of mahogany, and was supplied by C. C. Schneck, the local furniture dealer.

The floor of the banking Room has been lowered to as near the level of the sidewalk as the grade would allow, and is thoroughly fire-proof, being of concrete construction. In the basement, underneath the main floor vault, is a reinforced concrete vault for storage purposes for the Public, the balance of the basement being taken up with storage and supply rooms for the Bank’s use, and the heating equipment, a new vapor heating system having been installed throughout the entire building.

Slatington now has a bank offering to the Public the Services of an established institution, furnished with modern equipment and conveniences. In every phase of the work the officers and Directors of the Bank urged the Contractors and builders to employ local labor to the fullest extent possible, thus giving employment during the past 7 or 8 months to quite a number of people, relieving to that extent the unemployment situation in the community.

The present Directors are:
S. D. Behler
S. B. Costenbader
E. F. Kern
Dr. H. B. Kern
H. H. Mission
Dr. C. H.. Muschlitz
Wilson Rex
Harvey H. Steckel

The Officers are:
S. B. Costenbader, Pres.
Wilson Rex, Vic Pres.
H. H. Mission, Cashier

The last published statement shows the
Capital Stock - $100,000.
Surplus Fund - 300,000.
Deposits - 1,313,000
Total Assets - $1,827,000

The new banking rooms will be open for inspection by the public on Saturday afternoon and evening of this week.

The officers and directors of the Bank take this means of extending a cordial invitation to all their depositors and friends and the general public to visit the Bank at the time of the “opening” on Saturday, Dec. 13th, between the hours of 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock PM.

Source: The Slatington News, 11 December 1930

[My comment: That’s a pretty detailed description of the interior of the bank, but it gives an idea of what a great interior existed in the bank. For more information on the bank, see my notes.]

Paris Neckwear Company Purchases Building

The Paris Neckwear Co. has completed negotiations for the purchasing of the plant that it now occupies, at Walnutport, and last week acquired title to the plant. The company began operations in January, 1930, and has been progressing steadily in building up an organization for the manufacturing of neckwear. There are about 300 people employed at the present time, of whom about 80 per cent are drawn from the immediate locality.

There is reason to believe that the expansion of certain departments will reach the gap of space available in the very near future, and it is contemplated that an additional plant will be needed to care for further expansion.

Source: The Slatington News, 18 December 1930

[My comment: By about 1900, this was the site of a slate quarry operated by the American Slate Factory.
By 1914 a branch of the Egypt Silk Mill was operating on the site. The Egypt Silk Mill had mills in Coplay, Northampton and Allentown. The Walnutport mill closed in 1928, but by that time it had enlarged the building there to what would be the central structure of the sprawling complex of buildings that existed as of 2025.
Around 1930, the building was leased by a new company called the Walnut Neckwear Company. Soon thereafter the name was changed to Paris Neckwear, and the building purchased.
It seems to me that the mill finally closed circa 2005.
I know a lot of people that worked there, including my sister who had a summer job there back in the early 1980s.
It was actually a pretty good-looking and imposing sewing/knitting mill building.]