Bank of Bigheart

Bank of Bigheart
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Bank of Bigheart
Location	Barnsdall, Oklahoma
Coordinates
Built	1911
Architectural style	Richardsonian Romanesque
MPS	Richardsonian Romanesque Banks of Osage County TR
NRHP Reference #	84000311
Added to NRHP	November 23, 1984

The Bank of Bigheart is a historic commercial building in the town of Barnsdall, Oklahoma. It originally housed the first bank in Barnsdall, which was originally named Bigheart, Oklahoma. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 23, 1984.

Construction

The building was constructed during the peak of the oil boom in Osage County. In April 1911 a tornado destroyed much of the town which was known as Bigheart at that time. (The name was changed in 1921). The building was constructed in 1911. The first floor of the building originally contained the Bank of Bigheart. The bank was renamed the Barnsdall State Bank in 1925. which remained in the building until 1976, when it relocated to the present-day American Heritage Bank building. It has since contained a variety of businesses including a drug store and tavern. The second floor was originally used for professional offices and continued to do so at least through the 1980s, but has been vacant since then. It is the oldest surviving commercial building in Barnsdall. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 23, 1984.

According to the Bigheart Times, Other tenants in the building have included the town of Barnsdall, which used it as a city hall and as a library, International Order of Oddfellows (IOOF) and its auxiliary( the Rebekah Lodge). The ground floor currently has two retail tenants: a flower shop called Twig and Berries, and The Hen House, which sells handcrafted items, as well as fresh eggs. In 2014, Cliff Taylor, the current owner of the building began a renovation program by replacing all of the windows on the second floor.

Architecture

The building is an example of late Richardsonian Romanesque architecture. It is built of native sandstone. The lower level features large arched windows typical of Richardsonian Romanesque buildings. The upper story has smaller deeply set window with straight tops which are arranged in ribbon-like fashion, while the roof line features crenelations, both of which are characteristic of Richardsonian Romanesque. It is one of four small bank buildings built in Richardsonian Romanesque style in Osage County, Oklahoma during 1904-1911. The others are Bank of Hominy, Bank of Burbank, and Osage Bank of Fairfax.

References

• Articles on 1911 tornado
• Oklahoma State Historical Preservation Office entry.