First National Bank building, now El Palacio Restaurant

This old photo shows the new bank in 1930.



"The...First National Bank, founded in 1903, opened its doors on November 16, 1930. This was a three-story structure “suited to climatical conditions” of the region, according to the Klamath Falls Evening Herald of November 14. The architecture was loosely based on classical Greek elements such as the symmetrical façade and fluted pilasters, but the whole was subjected to an Art Deco interpretation characterized as Zigzag Moderne. The entire surface of the building was of gleaming white cast terra cotta on a black granite base. There were “sculptured panels [that] typify the forest and timbering, and the doughty lumberjack with his ax, who has for a background the modern artist’s conception of man’s greatest friend, the sun, and a display of the elements in the form of a stroke of lightning,” according to the Herald. A terra rendition of “the mythological god of the Mayans, named ‘Quetzecoatl’” was perched over the main entrance (Quetzacoatl was an Aztec word; the Mayan analog is Kukulcan). The Herald reporter was unable to effectively connect this figure with the “chief industries of the state of Oregon” but dutifully recorded its presence nonetheless. In a final touch of modernity, the entry included the first revolving door in the city."

Source: tinyurl.com/mvuqe6u