Commercial and Savings Bank
Also known as: Bank of America Building
Why it's listed
At 343 Main Street in Stockton stands a ten-story bank building put up in 1915 for the Commercial and Savings Bank, a firm founded in 1903 by John D. Raggio. Built by Dietrich and Liestner at a cost of $250,000, it has a steel frame clad in red brick, Utah sandstone and terra cotta, with a polished granite ground floor added later. After a 1923 fire destroyed the neighboring Hotel Philson, a duplicate addition designed by Bakewell and Brown was built in 1924, creating an L-shaped plan. The Bank of Italy, later Bank of America, bought the building in 1929 and further additions followed in 1941 and 1965. Its design is described as Renaissance Revival with Louis Sullivan influence, with stacked bands of detail rising to an ornate cornice. It reflects the skyscraper era and the Southern Mine boom prosperity that earned Stockton the name "brick city". The bank has since left, and the owners hope to reuse it for offices.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it an excellent example of Renaissance Revival architecture with strong Louis Sullivan influence, shown in its horizontal bands of detail and its enriched frieze and cornice. It also represents the early skyscraper era and the prosperity of the Southern Mine boom, which helped Stockton become known as the "brick city".
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 80000849, listed November 25, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 343 Main St., Stockton |
|---|---|
| County | San Joaquin County |
| Listed | November 25, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80000849 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Dietrich and Liestner Construction (original building); 1924 addition designed by Bakewell and Brown of San Francisco and built by Lewis and Green of Stockton |
| Architectural style | Renaissance Revival, with Louis Sullivan influence |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Form lists the building as unoccupied/vacant; the text says Bank of America sold and abandoned it, and the new owners plan adaptive reuse as commercial and office space. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 37.95343, -121.28465 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 80000849.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q133505216
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.