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Ladd & Bush Bank...

8/30/2010

2 Comments

 
     I’ve always loved the outside of the historic Ladd & Bush Bank in downtown Salem. The ornate carvings above the main doors are beautiful and matched only by the detail of the metal gates at the same location.  
       Since the onset of drive-through windows and online banking, the art of carefully crafting such a stately building to house financial services may now be a thing of the past. Walking hurriedly past this building, even I sometimes fail to stop and appreciate this gem of downtown Salem. So… when looking to tour a bank with my kiddos (and friends) I decided that Ladd & Bush would be the perfect place to learn about Salem history as well as bank services.
      
      The Ladd & Bush Bank Building was first built in 1909. It is said to be the “
first steel and concrete fire-resistant building in Salem” and “Salem’s first financial institution.”

       
Our tour gave us a peek at the original safe, cases of antique coins and measurements, and several old “calculators” formerly used in money counting.  We were also able to visit the basement, the safe deposit boxes, and the large current day vault. Correction: the children were able to visit the vault. Adults had to wait in the lobby. My 5 year old thought this detail was absolutely delightful. He humbly tried to offer his sympathy by saying, “Sorry you had to miss the fun Mom. It’s just that you are so old.” 
             Overall, it was a great tour. Interesting for all ages
        (even us old-folks).
Thank you to US Bank for hosting!
 
2 Comments
Breakfast on Bikes link
8/30/2010 02:39:59 pm

It's actually much older than 1909!

The Pioneer Trust Bank building, kittie-corner, was completed in 1909.

Ladd & Bush is from about 1868-70! Here's an article on the Ladd & Tilton bank, whose cast iron (not carved) facade was nearly identical to that of Ladd & Bush, and was used in the bank expansion of 1967.

http://www.cafeunknown.com/2007_01_01_archive.html

Anyway, it is a great building and should be more widely known and loved! Glad you guys got to see it!

Reply
Jessica link
9/1/2010 10:58:44 am

Thanks so much for setting up this field trip. It was lots of fun to see the inside of this pretty bank and my kiddos loved the money machine.

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