More than 40 residents in Beaver Creek have signed a petition to preserve the historic bank building that was given to the city by Minnwest Bank in January.
“This town and its history — this community was something,” Andrew Blank told council members at their July 8 meeting. “We can tell the world we are somebody … I feel this would be good for the city.”
He and his brother, Aaron Blank, presented the signatures to council members at their June meeting asking that they postpone selling the 103-year-old building for 12 months while they considered historic uses and sought potential resources.
“The only way to preserve the building is to not sell it,” Aaron Blank said.
The council tabled the request and put it on the agenda for the July meeting last week when passions for historic preservation met with practical considerations of maintenance and handicap accessibility.
The former bank, which is on the National Registry of Historic Places, appraised at $35,000 this spring when the council voted to sell it for approved uses only.
For example, it wouldn’t be sold to someone who would use it for storage, but the council would approve selling it to someone who would open a business in it.
As it turns out, the city recently received a legitimate offer to buy the building for use as office space, and Mayor Josh Teune encouraged the council to act on the offer.
“Out of everything the bank could possibly be, is there anything better than an office building?” he said. “Does anyone have a better idea?”
He said the best possible scenario for preserving the historic nature of the building would be to sell it to a business that can afford to maintain it.
As they debated the merits of history and practical use of taxpayer money, the group at one point considered using space in the Beaver Creek City Hall for historic displays.
The council took no action at the meeting, but agreed to work with the Blank brothers on finding an appropriate site in town for historic displays.
Background
The First National Bank was built around 1917 of brick, stone and concrete and the interior is Tennessee marble and trimmed with quarter-sawed oak.
When Minnwest closed its Beaver Creek branch Jan. 31, it marked the first time the building had been empty.
The city accepted the donation of the building with no immediate plans for it, except to maintain control over future entities that might buy it.
“It’s a beautiful building, and we would have the final say about who and what goes in there,” Mayor Teune said at the Jan. 8 meeting.
Council members have toured the building and said they’re pleased about its condition and amenities.
For example, the roof was redone in 2013, the furnace dates back to the mid 1990s, the electrical wiring is current and working Internet connections are in place.