| Endangered List: Back To Main Page |
| City/County/Congressional District: • Lewisville , Lafayette County ( District 4 ) |
| Location Class: • Commercial • Government |
| Year Built: • 1909 |
| Historic Designation: • National Register of Historic Places (1978) |
| Status: • Endangered |
The King-Whatley Building was designed to be primarily used as a bank, and when it was opened, was the only bank in the county seat. The First National Bank of Lewisville, chartered by the U.S. Department of Treasury became the owner and occupant in 1909. The building was sold only once more. In 1919, David Lattimore King first paid taxes as owner and maintained his law offices there until his death in 1929. Then his son-in-law and partner, George T. Whatley, retained his offices there, and the abstract company they had formed together until about 1960. For at least 3 decades, a shoe repair shop was located in the far end. In the ’30s, S.K. Henderson ran a small rental library in one office, and a third office housed a beauty shop. The building was fully occupied until the ’50s.
The original terrazzo floor, wooden wainscoting, plastered walls, and embossed metal ceiling are all still intact. Style and size reflect the optimism and prosperity (although short-lived) that cotton growing and the railroad brought to this Southwest Arkansas region.