First National Bank of South River

 

Source

First National Bank had established a branch in South River by , but the building we know was built in 1916.

The new building was crafted of buff colored brick with limestone accents. Four 30 foot tall Corinthian columns flanked the brass double doors. 

Inside the teller counters lined both walls, with marble counters and brass and glass teller windows. Two massive vault doors sat at the rear of the room, one for safety deposit boxes and one for the banks reserves. 

Several different banks ended up using the building after First National. One of them heavily dressed down the building. The brass doors were removed and replaced with cheap aluminum ones. The huge windows were removed and replaced with a combination of small aluminum frame and glass block. In an effort to reduce heating and cooling  closts the original glass tray ceiling was removed and covered over from above. A drop ceiling was installed at half height, completely hiding the lovely plaster ceiling which had been punctured several times to hang the grid. 

PNC was the last bank to occupy the space, but they left at the end of 2020. Around the same time, the town started to see a huge construction boom. The building sat vacant for just a few years before a redevelopment plan was announced that called for the entire building to be leveled. 

The building was entirely demolished in October of 2025. Its the first major chunk of Main Street to be erased in decades, so its loss is immediately felt by all who pass by. 109 years of standing proudly just to to eventually end up as fill material somewhere. Such a shame.