In 1877 The Bank of Arizona was the first business in Arizona that was strictly used for just banking. The two story building was restructured in 1900 because the original design was inadequate. The new façade was chosen through a competition. The new bank building designed in classical style with Second Renaissance Revival influence uses rustic stone and fired brick to show Prescott’s affluence. The large corner columns draw attention to the building and represent Romanesque architecture.
The Bank of Arizona later became the First National Bank of Arizona, then it was First Interstate Bank and it was last Wells Fargo Bank. Wells Fargo closed the bank over 10 years ago in 1998 and it was believed to be the longest operating bank in the state. The building is now a part of the Historic District and on the National Register of Historic Places.
As you venture further up Gurley Street there is the Welcome Center across the street from the bank. The Elk Theater is further east on the south side of the street. The Elks Lodge’s original plans did not call for a theater. Entertainment-hungry residents raised the necessary funds and it was incorporated into the plans for the three-story building housing the lodge on the top floor, offices on the second floor and retail space on the ground floor. The granite cornerstone of the building was laid on April 3, 1904, with an excited crowd in attendance. Architecturally, the building represents a transition from the Victorian commercial styles of the 19th century to the New-Classical designs of the early 20th century.
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