{"nrhp_refnum":"94000360","name":"Farmers and Merchants Bank of Fullerton","other_names":["Fullerton Music Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"122 N. Harbor Blvd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fullerton","county":"Orange County","state":"CA","lat":33.87117292200003,"lon":-117.92433851499999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1994-04-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story commercial bank building on the corner of Harbor Boulevard and Amerige Avenue in downtown Fullerton, California. It was built in 1904 and given a Beaux Arts facade in 1922 by architect Frank Benchley.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is significant under Criterion C as the only remaining Beaux Arts commercial building in Fullerton, with high artistic value. It also housed Fullerton's first bank, which was tied to the city's citrus-driven economic growth and its civic leaders.","narrative":"Standing on a prominent corner in Fullerton's historic commercial center, this two-story bank building dates to 1904 but takes its look from a 1922 remodel by architect Frank Benchley, who added a Beaux Arts facade over the original fabric. A diagonal corner entrance with a decorated parapet anchors the north and west fronts, which feature red clay tile roofs, classical and floral ornament, and honey-colored glazed terra cotta on the ground floor with granite bulkheads. Founded by the city's leading citizens, it was Fullerton's first bank and operated until 1944, later as a Bank of America branch. Its directors included prominent citrus growers, linking it to the industry that drove local prosperity. It is described as the only surviving Beaux Arts commercial building in the city. A 1989 rehabilitation altered some second-floor windows and the entrance location, yet the building retains enough integrity to show its architectural and historic importance.","period_of_significance":"1922","architect_builder":"Frank Benchley (architect of the Beaux Arts facade)","architectural_style":"Beaux Arts","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Rehabilitated in 1989; the ground floor is in commercial use as specialty stores and business space, and some storefronts appear marked for lease in the photographs.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.851422-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/94000360.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94000360/79e046726d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94000360/79e046726d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Traveler100","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FarmersMerchantsBankFullerton01c.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Traveler100</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FarmersMerchantsBankFullerton01c.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860208","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133328982"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/orange-county/farmers-and-merchants-bank-of-fullerton-94000360/"}