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Ransmeier & Spellman, P.C.

Cite as 3 Litigation Commentary & Rev. 33 (March 2010)

The New Hampshire Savings Bank Building (NHSBB) possesses integrity of location, design, materials, workmanship, feeling and association. The building is significant historically for its associations with one of the state's earliest banks, now the oldest bank in the City of Concord. It is significant architecturally as an intact example of early 20th century monumental bank architecture, the only such example in Concord, as well as the only commercial building on Main Street constructed of famed Concord granite.

When the NHSB was founded in 1830, it was the fourth savings bank established in the State of New Hampshire and the third bank in the City of Concord. [It is now the third oldest, after Portsmouth Savings Bank and Strafford Savings Bank (renamed the Southeast Bank for Savings). The Exeter Savings Bank went out of existence by 1930.] It was organized as a mutual bank for the "purpose of enabling industrious persons of all descriptions to invest such parts of their earnings as they can conveniently spare in a profitable manner". The bank was open for business six hours a week and paid 5%. The bank's initial emphasis was on real estate loans as a means of promoting industrial and agricultural progress through the savings of others.

The nominated property was the fourth home of the New Hampshire Savings Bank, all of which were on North Main Street. Its first location was in the Merrimack County Bank Building, still standing at 212 North Main Street. In 1868 the bank moved south into rooms in Stickney's South Block on the east side of North Main Street, across from the State Capitol and adjacent to the Eagle Hotel. In 1885, after purchasing the Stickney Block, the bank demolished the block to erect a new, four-story building on the site which still stands. The bank remained on the first floor of the new building for forty years.

In 1923 the bank again began looking for a new site, one which offered more space for its growing business and equipment, as well as one which provided better light and ventilation. The following year it bought the Sanborn Block, a three-story brick building erected ca. 1860 on the southwest corner of North Main and Capitol Streets. Overlooking the State Capitol, yet fronting onto North Main Street, the site was a fine choice. In 1925 the Sanborn Block was demolished, and construction began on the present building. Five stories in height, it was designed in the Beaux-Arts style and faced with granite from the Swenson quarries on Rattlesnake Hill in West Concord. The building was designed by J.D. Leland & Company, in conjunction with George W. Griffin, a Concord architect whose practice spanned fifty years.

Griffin's instructions were to "design a building which, while unpretentious, would not suffer from comparison with the best the city already has." (8/8/1925, p, 6) Fully precognitive of the desirability of the site, the bank decided to erect a five-story building to allow office leasing on the upper floors. The resultant design was a simple, yet elegant and dignified facade fully appropriate to the nature of a bank. Its appearance and location effectively bridged the transition in downtown Concord from the cluster of governmental buildings to the north to the city's commercial district to the south.

The architect's instructions for the interior were to create a homelike appearance, "designed for practical operation with a maximum of light". (Concord Monitor, 8/8/1925, p. 6) Though a "homelike" appearance is not a suitable adjective for the first floor of the bank, the upper floors, with their naturally-­finished woodwork, humanly-scaled proportions and moderately ­sized offices, attain that objective.

The first floor of the bank housed the banking hall, which extended a full two stories in height, and offices. The lobby contained a magnificent wooden banking counter which separated the public from the employees. Behind the counter was the main vault, framed with an ornate entablature carried on fluted pilasters echoing that surrounding the entrance doors. Two-story arched windows, a high coffered ceiling, and ornate ironwork contributed to the air of elegance and classical dignity sought by the bank. The front mezzanine was the trustees' room; the rear mezzanine, as well as the upper three floors, were rented offices. Among the first tenants was the law firm Demond, Woodworth, Sulloway and Rogers, whose offices on the fifth floor included a handsomely finished oak library. Throughout, the building was of fireproof construction.

At the time the New Hampshire Savings Bank moved into its new quarters, it was the third largest bank in the state, with resources totaling close to $24 million or one-tenth of all the savings within the state. It remained in this location until 1958, when demand for parking and a drive-in window initiated its move to a new building erected at the corner of North State and Capitol Streets.

In recent years, the building has hosted a number of tenants, including the New Hampshire Association of Savings Banks, the New Hampshire Real Estate Commission, Morrill & Everett, an insurance company of long-standing in the community and various smaller firms. In 1981 the building was purchased by Capitol Street Associates. The Law firm of Ransmeier & Spellman, PC is the principal occupier of the building.

In March of 1988, the building was nominated and accepted into the National Registry of Historic Places.

Info researched and complied by Elizabeth Durfee Hengen, Consultant in Historic Preservation.

*Excerpts from 1986 Historic Preservation Certification Application

About Ransmeier & Spellman, PC

Ransmeier & Spellman P.C. is a full-service, AV-rated law firm located in Concord, New Hampshire. Since its establishment in 1979, the firm has been dedicated to offering its clients sound counsel and zealous advocacy within the highest professional and ethical standards. We strive to combine the personal attention of a small firm with the capabilities and resources of a larger firm, and pride ourselves on the reputation we have earned for integrity and excellence in the practice of law.

Our offices beside the State Capitol allow quick access to the State’s executive and legislative branches, State agencies, the Merrimack County Superior and Probate Courts, the New Hampshire Supreme Court, and the United States District Court. Concord’s central location permits the firm to serve clients conveniently throughout the state. Our attorneys are active members of planning boards, Chambers of Commerce, Rotary, churches, and other community, charitable and civic organizations. We are committed to playing an integral role in the betterment of our community.

The firm’s regional practice includes litigation, business law, tax planning, real estate law, land conservation and protection, employment and labor law, alternative dispute resolution, zoning and planning, government relations, appellate law, public utilities, and estate and trust planning and administration. Our attorneys and our professional support staff offer business, insurance, municipal and individual clients the highest quality legal services on reasonable terms.