Bank of Gowanda
Also known as: Persia Town Hall
Why it's listed
Standing at the corner of West Main and Jamestown Streets in Gowanda, this two-story brick building was completed in 1914 as the Bank of Gowanda, to designs by Edvard Moeller. Its five-sided plan, red brick walls, limestone base, and terra cotta columns and trim reflect the Neoclassical style, which small-town banks of the period used to suggest stability and permanence. The building went up when Gowanda's business was expanding, driven largely by local glue manufacturing, and it replaced earlier wood-frame commercial structures on the site. Around 1935 the cracked terra cotta cornice and parapet were replaced with a streamlined limestone parapet showing Art Moderne influence. The bank merged with Marine Midland Trust in 1955 and gave the building to the Town of Persia, which converted it to a town hall in 1966. Inside, the open banking lobby, teller partition, glazed supervisor's booth, vault and a mural of early local history survive. The building remains a visual anchor of the downtown.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a distinctive, representative example of Beaux-Arts inspired Neoclassical bank architecture in a small village, and it also cites commerce as an area of significance. It retains its historic interior layout and many original features. The 1930s limestone parapet in the Art Moderne manner replaced the deteriorated original terra cotta cornice.
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 01000553, listed May 25, 2001. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 8 W. Main St., Gowanda |
|---|---|
| County | Cattaraugus County |
| Listed | May 25, 2001 |
| Reference number | 01000553 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1914-1950 |
| Architect / builder | Moeller, Edvard H. |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals: Classical Revival; Modern Movement: Moderne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as the Persia Town Hall since 1966; the form describes it as intact on the interior and exterior and maintained by the town. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.46262, -78.93582 (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 01000553.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4856118
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.