Alliance Bank Building
Also known as: Alliance First National Bank; Bank One
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Why it's listed
Rising six stories at a corner on East Main Street in Alliance, Ohio, this steel-frame and brick building was completed in 1914 as a combined banking house and office building. Lewis W. Thomas of Canton designed it in a restrained Italian Renaissance Revival style, with a rusticated sandstone base, round-arched openings, buff brick upper floors and a white glazed terra cotta cornice. In 1923 the Cleveland firm Walker and Weeks added a three-story rear wing that extended the original window pattern. The bank occupied the basement and first-floor lobby, while upper floors were rented to lawyers, doctors, insurers and the Chamber of Commerce. It brought large-scale classical design to a downtown of mostly low nineteenth-century buildings and reflected the prosperity of an industrial city that grew quickly in the early twentieth century. It was the second high-rise bank building in Stark County, and it is significant locally for commerce and architecture.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is locally significant under Criterion A for commerce and Criterion C for architecture. It was an early small-city example of a combined bank and high-rise office building, and the second high-rise bank building in Stark County. It symbolized Alliance's prosperity as a banking and commercial center around World War I.
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 95000940, listed July 28, 1995. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 502 E. Main St., Alliance |
|---|---|
| County | Stark County |
| Listed | July 28, 1995 |
| Reference number | 95000940 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1914 - 1945 |
| Architect / builder | Lewis W. Thomas, architect (1914 building); Walker and Weeks, architect (1923 addition); George B. McMillin Co., builder (1914 building) |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Italian Renaissance (Italian Renaissance Revival) |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is listed as vacant/not in use; the form lists the City of Alliance as owner. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.92214, -81.09863 (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 95000940.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4732284
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.