Ayers Bank Building
Also known as: Farmers State Bank and Trust Company
Why it's listed
Rising above the smaller commercial buildings of downtown Jacksonville, this bank building at State and Sandy streets was designed in 1911 by Chicago architect Jarvis Hunt and opened on January 2, 1913, at a cost of about $250,000. Its lower floors are faced in cut stone and granite, the upper floors in brick with vertical piers, and the top is finished with a terra cotta cornice and balustrade. It was Jacksonville's first steel-frame building. The building matters mainly because of its site, where banking began with druggist-merchant David Ball Ayers in the early 1830s. Evidence suggests it may be the longest continuous banking location in Illinois. His sons carried the business forward, and bankers Millard Fillmore Dunlap and Andrew Russel later built the tall structure as a statement of confidence. Additions in 1958 and 1961 and renovations in 1984 changed the interior and some windows, but the exterior remains true to the original design, and the bank still uses it.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the site has been continuously associated with banking longer than any other site in Illinois, starting with David Ball Ayers in the 1830s. The building symbolizes the financial role of the Ayers family and later bankers Dunlap and Russel. It was the city's first steel-frame building and its only high-rise commercial building.
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 86003178, listed November 20, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 200 W. State St., Jacksonville |
|---|---|
| County | Morgan County |
| Listed | November 20, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86003178 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1911-1913 |
| Architect / builder | Jarvis Hunt, Chicago (architect); James Stewart & Co., St. Louis (general contractor) |
| Architectural style | Second Renaissance Revival |
| Areas of significance | Commerce |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in use by the bank, which uses all floors but the top one; the exterior is described as maintained in remarkably good condition, with interior alterations in 1958, 1961 and 1984. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Within district | Jacksonville Downtown Historic District |
| Coordinates | 39.73437, -90.22999 (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.
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 86003178.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19600285
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.