Buildings & Sites
Bank of Issaquah Building
July 1999 Photo by David Bangs
Bank of Issaquah Building: 111 Front Street N.
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Map
This was a particularly ornate bank building when it was built in 1910 to
replace an early wood-frame of the Bank of Issaquah. At that time, the
upper floor served as office space for area dentists and doctors. Over
time, sections of the building were to house the Issaquah Post Office, and the
telephone exchange.
The bank building while still under construction in 1910.
Issaquah Historical Society photo 14-78.59
The ornate interior of the building when it was known as
"Issaquah State Bank", in 1914.
The bank became the "Issaquah State Bank" in 1913 and in 1932
became the Issaquah Office of the "Washington State Bank." In 1949, the bank was dramatically remodeled, stripping it
of its ornate architecture both inside and outside. In 1956, Washington
State Bank was purchased by Seattle First National Bank, and in 1965 the local
bank branch was moved to the new building further north on Front Street.
Issaquah Historical Society photo 91.7.88
The Bank Building circa 1953, several years after the 1949 remodeling
job. The unfinished north side of the building indicates a belief that an
adjacent building would be constructed in that location. 50 years later,
the side is still exposed and still unfinished.
As of 1999, the building is home of "The Bicycle Center."
History
From the 1998 "Issaquah Historic Property Inventory":
Building Description
The Bank of Issaquah building was the most sophisticated building in Issaquah,
but it underwent a radical renovation in the late 1940's that stripped the
building of its classical ornate detailing inside and out. The result is a
streamlined Art Moderne expression, little changed today. The building is a tall
long boxy form 27' wide along Front Street and 72' deep along Alder. Unlike its
neighbor at 99 Front Street which was built for displaying and selling goods,
this building is proportioned for grandeur, status and security. Built as a
bank, its vertical window proportions, though very changed from its original
classic form, still hint to its roots. The window bays are vertically oriented
and deeply recessed; these details enhance the stature of this relatively small
building. The windows have been replaced with four panels, each with four
horizontal lites; a flat horizontal spandrel divides the windows. The cladding
of the building was altered to a large green glazed ceramic tile consistently
smooth and sleek; the plasticity of the original ornate structure is absent. The
renovation transformed the building into a true Moderne building typified by
soft or rounded corners, flat roofs and smooth wall finishes without surface
ornamentation. This building originally had vertically oriented windows, and the
renovation resulted in the same. This detail is inconsistent with most Moderne buildings
built during the 1930's and 40's which were characterized by horizontal bands of
windows.
Bibliographic References
Issaquah Historical Society files. King County Tax Assessor records.
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