Spring-Ford Area Historical Society

Check out our museum and all the wonderful luminaries & decorations around town! As always it's a pleasure to work with the Woman's Club of Royersford!

There are four older bank buildings as you come up Main Street from 2nd Avenue to 3rd Avenue. The Home National Bank of Royersford, The National Bank of Royersford (original building 1866), The replacement (new 1922) National Bank of Royersford and the Royersford Trust Company. Today’s Posts will be about the older Banks in Royersford. I was fascinated the first time I visited Royersford as a young boy, and thought it should be named Bankville or Banktown or at least name the street should be Bank Street. I thought wow the people in Royersford must have a lot of money.

The Home Bank of Royersford organized in 1892 still stands and there on 2nd Avenue and Main St. It was a bar at one time called Banker’s Bar and even today many people still refer to the building as Banker’s Bar. It has had many businesses in this building since the bank closed. It is now Velvet Luxe Salon and has apartments on the second floor. I know when it was a bank that the second floor was apartments too.

This bank which still stands serves as apartments today.

Ground was broken on September 5, 1922 for the new National Bank at the corner of Main Street & 3rd Avenue. Its location was just up the street from the existing bank building, which was constructed only 36 years earlier. The property was sectioned off from property that Jacob Mowrey owned and sold to the National Bank. Mowrey remained living in the house, which would continue standing behind the bank with his address then listed as 3rd Avenue as he no longer used the main en...trance. Note, you can see the Mowrey house in the photo just to the right of the new bank. Jacob was a well-known builder in Royersford (in his day). His magnificent mansion was one of the finest in the town. The bank was built on what was originally part of his front yard. His house was later removed and all that remains is some of the stone wall and steps. This is only real photo image I had ever seen of his house. We have a restored newspaper clipping of poor quality but in this photo, we see a bit more, a nice peek at the Mowery house. This new bank was to be something special for the borough of Royersford. The structure is one story and built of Indiana Limestone, presenting what was termed a splendid appearance. The dimensions, as originally built stood at 30-foot frontage on Main Street and 75 feet in depth along 3rd Avenue. Fred T. Ley and Company of 19 West 44th Street, New York City was awarded the contract for construction. Ley would eventually build the Chrysler Building in New York City. The inside of the bank was a showcase of marble, with its application to the floor and as wainscoting. Built within were two consulting rooms in the front portion of the building. Mahogany and white oak added the finishing touches to the woodwork. The vault that was built was set under the director’s room, which was built upon a mezzanine in the rear of the building. Modern lavatory facilities were installed, in addition to a lady’s waiting room. When the Weekly Advertiser posted the impending construction of the bank in the September article, it stated that the impending completion was to be made by the end of the year. It was not until November of 1923, that the building was completed. The bank stated by notification in the Weekly Advertiser, that there was to be an open house for the citizens to come and view the new modern structure. I am lucky to have found one of these program guides and have included the front page here in these posts. The president of the bank at the time of the construction was Edwin R. Thomas, who was elected to the position on January 17, 1908. He began working for the National Bank of Royersford in 1890 as clerk. See more

This is a copy of the original grand opening announcement for the new National Bank of Royersford just a short distance up the hill from the original bank. The bank was built in 1922 and opened the following year. It is at 3rd and Main and now houses a private business.