PCAD - Farmers and Merchants Savings Bank #2, Downtown, Oakland, CA

Newspaper advertisement for the Farmers and Merchants Bank of Oakland, Oakland, CA, 1910. From the Farmers and Merchants Bank of Oakland advertisement, Oakland Tribune, 10/20/1910, p. 8

Postcard view of the Farmers and Merchants Bank, Oakland, CA, c. 1911. From the author's collection, postcard by R.S. Kitchener, Publisher, Oakland, CA

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393 13th Street
Downtown, Oakland, CA 94612

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The Farmers and Merchants Savings Bank in Oakland stood on the southeast corner of Franklin Street and 13th Street.

Building History

The Farmers and Merchants Savings Bank of Oakland, CA, was established in 11/1892. From this time until 06/1910, it occupied a building on Broadway near 12th Street in Oakland's Downtown business district.

In 1912, its board of directors consisted of: investor Edson F. Adams, attorney Sam Bell McKee, George R. Meredith, Frank C. Martens, landowner A.W. Schafer,Piedmont Construction Company Vice-President C.D. Bates, and stone dealer Andrew L, Stone. Officers were Admas, president; McKee, vice-president; Meredith, cashier; Marten, assistant cashier. It had deposits on 12/31/1910 of $1.240. 433.17 and on 12/31/1911, $1,575, 825.36, an increase of about 33%. According to a notice in Oakland Tribune of 1912, the bank had a state-of-the-art safe deposity vault: "The bank has the improved safe deposit system, with interchangeable key locks, affording absolute security against duplicate keys. It is the only safe deposit vault in Oakland having this system."(See "Farmers & Merchants Savings Bank," Oakland Tribune, 01/17/1912, p. 67.)

In 1937, bank officers remained remarkably stable: Edson F. Adams, President; George S. Meredith, Vice-President; F.C. Martens, Cashier; B.C. Reid, Assistant Cashier; John Campe, Assistant Cashier. Directors of the bank were: Edson F. Adams, George S. Meredith, Charles D. Bates, Jr., R.A. Leet, Frank C. Martens, W.C. Jurgens, and A.G. Tashiera. (See Farmers and Merchants Savings Bank advertisement, Oakland, California, City Directory, 1937, p. 1207.)

The Farmers and Merchants Savings Bank consolidated with San Francisco's Crocker 1st NationalBank in 03/1947. (See Oakland Wiki.org, "Farmers and Merchants Savings Bank," accessed 04/10/2022.)

PCAD id: 23583

Farmers and Merchants Savings Bank #2, Downtown, Oakland, CA (1910)