59-61 State Street

History

Located at the northeast corner of State and Charter Streets, the former Merchants National Bank is a three-story, 5 x 4-bay brick building with tall brick corner chimneys rising from its low hip roof. The Federal-style building is believed to have been constructed c. 1800.

The brick is laid in a Flemish bond, and marble belt courses wrap around the building between the stories. The first floor largely dates to 1921 alterations in the Colonial Revival style. Centered on the facade is a pedimented entrance flanked by two pairs of pilasters. The entrance is embellished by oval medallions, keystones, and guttae-like ornament. The recessed arched entry has a semi-circular fanlight with wooden tracery and a scalloped outer edge. The other first-floor bays are defined by single pilasters, which frame expansive modern 6/6 windows with flat arch brick lintels extending to the first-floor cornice. The second-story facade windows consist of modern wooden 6/6 sash with molded surrounds. The tops of the smaller 6/6 windows on the third story extend nearly to the dentil and modillion cornice. The windows on the lesser elevations retain their 1920s 2/1 windows. A c. 1960 walk-up window is located on the south end of the building. A single-story addition at the rear of the building features a belt course that is continuous with the original building.

This brick block was reportedly erected about 1800. There has been a bank at this location since 1803, when the Newburyport Bank was established. The Newburyport Bank was succeeded by the Merchants Bank in 1831, which became the Merchants National Bank in 1865. Initially, the bank was located upstairs; in the 1880s, it moved to a portion of the ground floor. In 1921, the bank took over the entire ground floor.

The first-floor storefront housed Henry C. Plumer’s dry goods business for many years (c. 1870 to c. 1900). Plumer lived on Grange Street and served as an alderman for Ward 3 in 1892. In 1898, Charles Goodwin bought out Henry C. Plumer’s business, which was located here until 1903, when he moved next door to 57 State Street. Kennedy & Co., butter and cheese merchants, later occupied the space. Printer Albert Hunt was also located briefly at 59 State Street. Over the years, the upper floors of the block have also housed several other institutions. In 1852, the Merrimack Library Association occupied rooms in the Merchants Bank Building. The association’s library was transferred to the Newburyport Public Library when it was established in 1854. In June 1853, the third-floor hall in the building was leased to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and used as a lodge room. The space was thoroughly renovated by the Odd Fellows and used by them until 1905.

The Merchants National Bank building underwent extensive renovations in 1921, according to designs by the Boston architects Hutchins & French. MacDonald & Joslin of Boston served as the general contractors; Benjamin F. Tripp of Boston was the vault engineer. The work included adding steel girders to support the upper stories, installing columns throughout the banking space, and sandblasting the exterior to remove paint from the brick. Inside the banking rooms were enlarged to double their size by joining them to the store, which was formerly occupied by Kennedy & Co., removing the stairway that led to the upper stories, and making a new entrance to the upper floors on State Street. The large plate-glass windows were removed, and smaller panes (2/1 and 3/1) were substituted to give the building a “Colonial” feel. As part of the renovation, the bank’s main entrance was relocated to the center of the State Street facade, and a vestibule was constructed. A rear addition containing a large vault was also built at this time.

Additional renovations to the building were made in 1955 to “streamline” its appearance. The nature of these alterations is not known. In 1963, the facade windows were changed from large panes to small panes with shutters. The work was performed by City Builders.