In 1924, The Bellefontaine Building & Loan Co. advertised they had over two million in assets and had over 5,000 patrons. Their motto was “Where Money Grows”. That same year, they purchased the building at the corner of W. Columbus Ave. and S. Detroit St. that was built in 1885 by E. J. Short. The W.E. Stokes cigar store and the Eads Flower shop that were in the Short building moved to other locations. In 1926, the building was razed for “Logan County’s largest financial institution”.
The A.P. Eveland Co. of Wilmington turned in the lowest bid for the erection of the new facility. The exterior of the two-story building was constructed with Indiana limestone. A custom-made large steel vault with a round vault door was ordered from the Diebold Safe and Lock Co. The round 15-ton vault door was to be the largest and heaviest ever installed in Logan County.
The main floor was finished in marble and included “lounging sofas in the lobby, secluded rooms for private conferences, 6 tellers’ windows, individual telephones for officers and employees, a moveable “kiddie” step for the use of children in transacting business at the teller’s window, and steel money drawers”. The second floor housed the medical offices of C.K. Startzman, MD, C.N. Niles, DDS, R.A. Van Vleck, DO, and J.W. Morrow, DO. Their offices were reached using the Detroit Street entrance.
Through the years, the Bellefontaine Building & Loan Co. featured different displays in their lobby. They hosted the first annual Logan County Corn Show in November 1937. The “Corn is King” show was confined to corn growers and students from Logan County. The corn competition was held at the bank for several years and featured as many as 2,800 ears of corn. In June 1939, the L.J. Zerbee Co. set up a display of their Texteel parlor, living room and porch furniture. The woven steel mesh furniture was made in Bellefontaine on Lawrence St.
Bellefontaine Federal hung a large electronic sign on the corner of their building that posted the time and temperature in March 1960. An official U.S. Weather Bureau type cage was placed over the unit on the roof of the building so the sun and wind would not affect the reading. The temperature accuracy was within a degree.
In March 1967, the building underwent exterior and interior improvements. The renovations included a new large glass entrance, Armstrong Luminaire acoustic ceiling, six V.I.P. walnut panel sections, new drapes and furniture. LPZ Construction of Bellefontaine was the general contractor.
By the early 1970s, Bellefontaine Federal once again felt the need to expand. They purchased the property at the northeast corner of E. Columbus Ave. and N. Madriver that formerly housed the Bellefontaine Fire Department. Ground was broken in September 1975. The building was completed in July 1976 with Thomas & Marker Construction Co. of Bellefontaine as the general contractor. After Bellefontaine Federal moved to its new location, the Logan-Champaign Guidance Clinic and the Tri-County Community Action Commission occupied the building at 149 W. Columbus Ave.
In January 1983, Bellefontaine Federal Savings & Loan consolidated with Security Federal Savings & Loan to form Colonial Federal Savings & Loan.
The former Bellefontaine Federal building was purchased by Ron and Judy Voisard in 1984. They opened Poor Paul’s Café the next year. They remodeled the building into a “discotheque” with a bar on the main floor and the loft. They were in business for about four years. Since then, the building has housed several different businesses.
Visit the Logan County History Center at 521 E. Columbus Ave., Bellefontaine, Ohio 43311, to learn more interesting aspects of Logan County History.
