Talk:Fayetteville Historic Square

Inaccuracy

This article says that one of the names of The Eason Building a.k.a. 100 West Center, the building at the northwest corner of the intersection that lies at the northwest corner of the square, is "The Old Bank Of Fayetteville Building". That is possibly true, but this building never housed the present-day Bank Of Fayetteville that now inhabits the former Lewis Brothers Hardware building at the southwest corner of that same intersection, and it's inaccurate to say "The Bank of Fayetteville has since moved, its main branch is now located across the street in the Lewis Brothers Building" AS IF it is that 1915 Bank of Fayetteville that is now in the Lewis Brothers building. It's possibly true that in 1915 there was a bank named "The Bank Of Fayetteville", but it's not the same bank (and has no continuity extending into) the present-day bank that uses that name. The present-day Bank Of Fayetteville was founded in the 1980s (see http://www.bof.com/about-us/bank-history.html ) as a new institution with no history. The present-day Bank Of Fayetteville was never IN The Eason Building and so it's inaccurate to say that it moved OUT of that building.

A far more plausible history (one which can't be verified since the article's Footnote #3 is dead) is that after the 1915 merger there was no longer a bank named "The Bank Of Fayetteville" because the entity formed by the merger took the name "The First National Bank of Fayetteville" and continued to operate under that same name until the late 1980s or 1990s when it was combined with another institution and continued operating under the other institution's name. This happened more than once. For a time, "Boatmen's" was the name of the bank that was the successor-in-interest to The First National Bank Of Fayetteville. Today, Bank Of America is the successor-in-interest to Boatmen's and therefore the successor-in-interest to The First National Bank Of Fayetteville that existed in the 1960s, which may be the same bank as the one party to the merger in 1915. (In other words if you began a 30-year mortgage with The First National Bank of Fayetteville in late 1985 you will soon pay it off with a check to Bank Of America. NOT a check to The Bank Of Fayetteville.)

It's possibly true that another name for The Eason Building is "The Old Bank Of Fayetteville Building", but, if that is the case, what this name means to state is NOT "this is the building, that, of old, but not now (or else the qualifier 'Old' would be unnecessary) housed The Bank Of Fayetteville that is now across the street". If that name applies to The Eason Building, what it means is "this is the 'Old' Bank Of Fayetteville building because the bank it housed was the OLD bank named 'The Bank Of Fayetteville', NOT the present-day bank across the street that is also named 'The Bank of Fayetteville'".

It is true that a Mr. Lewis and one other 1980s founder of the present-day Bank Of Fayetteville were formerly officers of The First National Bank Of Fayetteville. However, as is the case with Lee Iacocca working earlier for Ford and later for Chrysler, there is no corporate continuity between the present-day Bank Of Fayetteville and The First National Bank Of Fayetteville (or any of its successors-in-interest). The present-day Bank Of Fayetteville's location in the old Lewis Brothers Hardware Building arose from the fact that this founding Mr. Lewis was related to the Lewises in Lewis Brothers Hardware.

The First National Bank Of Fayetteville and The Bank Of Fayetteville competed. They sat on opposite sides of The Square for a long time. They were not and are not connected, and if there was a 1915 bank named "The Bank Of Fayetteville" that merged with a bank named "The First National Bank Of Fayetteville", the former is NOT the same as the present-day Bank Of Fayetteville although the latter might well be the same bank as the 1960s predecessor to what is today Bank Of America's Fayetteville operations. Since two banks existed in the 1980s and each of them used one of the names used by two banks that merged in 1915, at least ONE (if not both) of the two 1980s banks must be a newer bank reusing a name left orphaned by the 1915 merger. They can't BOTH be identical with the merged bank formed in 1915, can they?2604:2000:C6AA:B400:7C47:2B35:BEE0:BC6D (talk) 04:17, 21 July 2015 (UTC)Christopher L. Simpson

I'm finding some people who say the same thing I say. Please note the text "It was originally the Bank of Fayetteville at the beginning of the 20th century but no connection to the present-day Bank of Fayetteville." at

https://www.facebook.com/FayettevilleHistory/photos/a.10152378887249373.1073741825.68208609372/10153078704109373/

and the text "... , previously holding the first Bank of Fayetteville" at

https://books.google.com/books?id=ewauiunEoF8C&pg=PA15&lpg=PA15&dq=%2B%22the+eason+building%22,%2B%22bank%22&source=bl&ots=cuSsXggMr0&sig=zh4jJM-DX05oNxxMtwFq8jcaeUM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCEQ6AEwAWoVChMIlO6zmbTrxgIVQdkeCh2mRAjZ#v=onepage&q=%2B%22the%20eason%20building%22%2C%2B%22bank%22&f=false

(sometimes you have to click the blue text "Page 15" to see it better)

which makes one wonder, if THAT bank is the same as the bank that is TODAY named "The Bank Of Fayetteville", why is that adjective "first" in there?2604:2000:C6AA:B400:7C47:2B35:BEE0:BC6D (talk) 04:45, 21 July 2015 (UTC)Christopher L. Simpson

I don't doubt any of what you say, and I seriously doubt anyone would object, if you were to insert qualifying language to clarify the situation. However, I would advise against a complicated argument within the body of the article. You have succinctly made your case on this talk page. That is the best place for it. An elaborated explanation within the article would distract, and detract, I think. Thank you vurry much. Rags (talk) 07:39, 3 March 2016 (UTC) Rags (talk) 07:39, 3 March 2016 (UTC)

I have BEEN BOLD and made the change. I have not included the alternative name Eason Building, though I may, yet. Understand me clearly, I have no dog in this fight. I am not emotionally attached to this issue. The case you have made seems clear to me, though I have only visited Fayetteville once or twice, and don't remember ever seeing this square. Should you feel the need to revert what I have done, and correct the description in another fashion, I will have NO OBJECTION.Rags (talk) 08:19, 3 March 2016 (UTC)

No NRHP number for this article

Hello,

This may be a "historic square" but it has no HRHP number. Please add it. Thanks, Krok6kola (talk) 13:44, 6 September 2021 (UTC)