Alexandria in Rapides Parish, Louisiana — The American South (West South Central)
Old Rapides Bank Building
Photographed by Lee Hattabaugh, November 17, 2010
1. Old Rapides Bank Building Marker
Inscription.
Old Rapides Bank Building. . This structure was built on property that once belonged to Alexander Fulton. He had acquired it at the end of the 18th century from Marguerite Cecile Christophe Varrangue. Various persons occupied this site until it was acquired by Rapides Bank in two purchases dated February 26, 1897 and February 5, 1898. The Bank moved to this new location when it was ten years old, in September, 1898, under the leadership of its first president, Col. George Washington Bolton. The original building featured Renaissance Revival detailing, but in 1914, it was remodeled in the neo-classical style by the noted New Orleans architectural firm of Favrot and Livaudais. The impressive three-bay limestone facade is articulated with engaged colossal Tuscan columns, arched windows, and a balustraded entablature. Following the remodeling, a series of flood control set-back levees enveloped all of adjacent First (Front) Street and one-half of each block between First and Second (Main) Streets. Rapides Bank occupied this site until 1954, when it moved two blocks south. This structure was donated in 1982 by the Bank to the Alexandria Museum.
This structure was built on property that once belonged to Alexander Fulton. He had acquired it at the end of the 18th century from Marguerite Cecile Christophe Varrangue. Various persons occupied this site until it was acquired by Rapides Bank in two purchases dated February 26, 1897 and February 5, 1898. The Bank moved to this new location when it was ten years old, in September, 1898, under the leadership of its first president, Col. George Washington Bolton. The original building featured Renaissance Revival detailing, but in 1914, it was remodeled in the neo-classical style by the noted New Orleans architectural firm of Favrot & Livaudais. The impressive three-bay limestone facade is articulated with engaged colossal Tuscan columns, arched windows, and a balustraded entablature. Following the remodeling, a series of flood control set-back levees enveloped all of adjacent First (Front) Street and one-half of each block between First and Second (Main) Streets. Rapides Bank occupied this site until 1954, when it moved two blocks south. This structure was donated in 1982 by the Bank to the Alexandria Museum.
Erected 1987 by Central Cities Development Corporation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical date for this entry is February 26, 1940.
Location.
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31° 18.717′ N, 92° 26.647′ W. Marker is in Alexandria, Louisiana, in Rapides Parish. It is at the intersection of Main Street and Murray Street, on the right when traveling west on Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Alexandria LA 71301, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Louisiana and in Acadiana Cajun Country. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Also seen in the background is "Red River" marker.
Photographed by Lee Hattabaugh, November 17, 2010
4. Old Rapides Bank Building
Photographed by Lee Hattabaugh, November 17, 2010
5. Old Rapides Bank Building NRHP plaque
Credits. This page was last revised on January 10, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 23, 2010, by Lee Hattabaugh of Capshaw, Alabama. This page has been viewed 2,364 times since then and 45 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on November 23, 2010, by Lee Hattabaugh of Capshaw, Alabama. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
