Irwin Union Bank

[moose]

Dave Giles sounds right. No tellers were involved until after builder brought cash back to the desk, which was located in corner next to Washington Street window, and amount verified. IU was providing the mortgage.

Is David still with us ??

[David Sechrest]

We've been discussing Irwin Union Bank in the 1800's Thread, and I ask all to copy their posts here (no need to delete the posts in the 1800's Thread.

I'm replying to Babs message in the 1800's Thread here. Yes, Babs, today is, indeed, a sad day in Columbus Indiana history. Due to those high risk loans and other problems, Irwin Union Bank no longer exists. It was taken over yesterday by First Financial out of Ohio.

This is the end of an era. The City of Columbus has lost its last "home town bank."

The 1962 phone books lists 2 banks in Columbus: First National Bank (se corner of 4th and Washington), and Irwin Union at 500 Washington St. Irwin Union had branches at Eastbrook, State & Mapleton, and Hope.

[Babs]

When I was a senior in high school, I had enough credits to graduate mid-term but I didn't want to so I took two study halls and one elective class the second half of that year. I applied for and got a job at Irwin Union Bank and Trust and every afternoon, after having lunch at school, I walked downtown to the bank across the street from where it is located now. After graduation I began working full time at Irwin Union.

It is a sad day for me to hear that this fine bank is closing but according to some in the know they just let things get too far away from them, too many loans to people they should not have loaned to, and then going out West into unknown territory was not in the best interest for this bank.

During the time I worked at the bank, which would've been early in 1953 and 1954, I typed a lot of correspondence between the bank officers and the architect so I've always felt I was in on the ground floor even though when they moved into the new bank I no longer worked there. I moved away and began working for the Department of the Navy and when I returned to Columbus, Mr. Bert Engle told my dad to have me come in and see him. However, I soon discovered that the bank couldn't pay me the salary I was used to working for in civil service so I politely told Mr. Engle that "he couldn't afford me". I thanked him and walked out of the bank.

Still I have fond memories of my time working at Irwin Union and some of the fine people I knew there. Mr. Bert Engle was the Head Cashier, Mr. Al Keohn was in my immediate work area as was Caroll Hill , Mr. Don Jurgemeyer was Trust Officer, and there was a Mr. Donald Peterson in Insurance I believe. I can see the man who was President in my mind but right now his name won't come to me. One day I was told to walk a letter down to Mr. J. Irwin Miller's office and wait for him to read it and then bring back his response. Mr. Miller was polite, cordial and very friendly to me....a lowly secretary and a youngster at that.

I know a lot of people have gone through those doors, not just the present day bank, but all of the ones in the past and Irwin Union was a bank you felt you could count on and it is a sad day for Columbus that there will no longer be that name on any of our buildings.

I for one am very sad to learn of the takeover by another financial institution.
« Last Edit: Yesterday at 18:25 by Babs » Link to Post - Back to Top Logged

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Babs

[Babs]

Jack,
Thank you for reminding me ....S. E. Lauther....The S.E. stuck in my head and I could see him in my head but the name escaped me. Mr. Lauther was the President at the time I worked there.
Appreciate the timely response here from Jack!

You don't type someone's name and completely forget everything....hahaha

There was another Trust Officer whose name won't come to me right now. He was the son of a former Indiana governor I think.
The Trust Department was right before you came to the area where my desk was located.
« Last Edit: Yesterday at 18:27 by Babs »

[Babs]

Hey David,
I did something new today. They say one should always try new things, well I attempted (and succeeded) in moving the posts under the proper heading of Irwin Union Bank and Trust.
Something entirely new for me! :-) I knew when I posted, answering Ricky's post that it should go here but went ahead and posted anyhow. Sorry.

[jdhinkle]

I AGREE WITH BABS

MY STINT AT THE BANK WAS 61 TO 73
BY THAT TIME MR ENGLE WAS IN CHARGE OF BUILDING AND AUDITING
BILL FISH WAS THE HEAD CASHIER
THE PRESIDENT WHEN I STARTED WAS S EDGAR LAUTHER WHO WAS FOLLOWED BY PAUL DINKINS

MR KEUHN WAS THE FINANCIAL INVESTMENT OFFICER
I REMEMBER DON JURGEMEYER AND I THINK DICK BURROUGHS EVENTIALLY TOOK HIS PLACE

IT TOUGH TO SEE SINCE I WAS INVOLVED WITH BANK GETTING THEIR FIRST COMPUTER

TOUGH SITUATION BUT THE MEMORIES WILL CONTINUE

[ddburton1977]

It certainly is sad to see this happen to a columbus Institution thats been around for so many years. I truely feel sorry for Will Miller, I can only imagine how badly he feels. One can only assume that in time that the new owners will gradually move out alot of the jobs that went along with the bank and when they do, I'll find another bank. I am sure this will affect columbus for years to come.

[RER]

Sept 30, 2009 20:00:16 GMT -5 ddburton1977 said:

It certainly is sad to see this happen to a Columbus Institution thats been around for so many years. I truly feel sorry for Will Miller, I can only imagine how badly he feels. One can only assume that in time that the new owners will gradually move out alot of the jobs that went along with the bank and when they do, I'll find another bank. I am sure this will affect Columbus for years to come.

Well, (ddburton) it is a well known fact in business history; that when family members take over a business they will eventually fail statistically.

Now, this case extended longer than the norm, but it did happen. If you read the historical facts of families taking over small and larger business's, eventually they fail in most cases. This one example went on for a very long time.

However, I will have to say that Congress in my view caused the problems nationwide with the sub-prime easy loans (force of laws); plus the real estate values upward, and bank low interest rates.

But, maybe the bank didn't need to extend so much to out of state businesses; they should have maybe kept the Irwin business dealings at home in Columbus.

Yes, it is a very sad situation of history, but it has occurred unfortunately. This is just my own historical opinion and others may not agree.

[guest]

I will truly agree with u.

[darlene1956]

Hi! I was one of the proof operators at the bank from 1956-1960.That was a good job for me right after graduating from high school.
I was married in 1960 and moved to New York where my husband Bill was stationed with the Air Force.
I remember the bank well. I believe the proof machines were up on the2nd floor.
Thanks for the great message board. Maybe someone will remember me.
Janet (Pittman) Reeve

[RER]

Nov 16, 2009 7:36:05 GMT -5 darlene1956 said:

Hi! I was one of the proof operators at the bank from 1956-1960.That was a good job for me right after graduating from high school.
I was married in 1960 and moved to New York where my husband Bill was stationed with the Air Force.
I remember the bank well. I believe the proof machines were up on the2nd floor.
Thanks for the great message board. Maybe someone will remember me.
Janet (Pittman) Reeve

Hi Janet:

Welcome to the Columbus Historical Message Boards. You don't know me but you do know my brother Jerry Records. Jerry doesn't write on the boards, but reads them throughout the day each day.

Some of your classmates I talk to daily through emails. Their names are Mike Murphy, Jerry Schofield, Jim Conway and Roy Stuckey. Brother Jerry said for me to tell you hi. He lives in Florida and is a retired Air Force guy. Mike Murphy, Roy Stuckey and Jerry Schofield are also retired Air Force guys and they too live in Florida. Jim Conway still held out and lives in the Columbus area.

Bob

[jdhinkle]

GOOD TO HEAR FROM AN OLD PROOF OPERATOR

I JUST MISSED YOU I WAS HIRED IN NOV 1961 AS A PROOF OPERATOR

MARIE JAGGERS WAS THE SENIOR MEMBER THEN I WOULD THINK YOU PROBABLY WORKED WITH HER

I HAVE SOMEOTHER POSTS HERE ABOUT IRWIN UNION YOU MAY REMEMBER SOME OF THE PEOPLE I MENTIONED

THE PROOF DEPARTMENT WAS MOVED TO THE ERICKSON BUILDING WHEN THEY REMODELED THE THREE FLOOR PORTION
OF THE MAIN OFFICE

AFTER THE REMODEL THEY MOVED IT TO THE LOWER LEVEL OF THE NEW STRUCTURE ALONG WITH THE COMPUTER INSTALLATION

WELCOME ABOARD

[jdhinkle]

I WAS CLEANING OUT AN OLD BILL FOLD AND FOUND THIS LITTLE ITEM MIGHT BE CONSIDERED AN ANTIQUE



THIS IS A CREDIT CARD HOLDER FROM AROUND 1970 WHEN MASTERCARD WAS IN ITS YOUTH
AT THE TIME IT WAS ONLY A MONEY MOVER LATER THE CASH MACHINE BECAME ATM'S WHICH MEANT YOU COULD DO MORE THAN JUST RECEIVE CASH

[jdhinkle]

I RECEIVED AN E MAIL YESTERDAY FROM RICHARD ABOUT FIRST FINANCIAL GOING TO DESIGN AND BUILD A NEW MAIN OFFICE. IT APPEARS THE 500 WASHINGTON MAIN OFFICE WILL NO LONGER BE USED AS A BANKING OFFICE IN 18 MONTHS

I THOUGHT I WOULD ADD A PICTURE OR TWO OF THE 500 WASHINGTON OFFICE TO SAVE MEMORIES FOR THE FUTURE



THE ABOVE PICTURE IS THE VIEW OF THE OFFICE AS YOU WALKED IN THE MAIN ENTRANCE
WHEN YOU WALKED IN THE NEW ACCOUNTS AREA WAS IMMEDIATELY TO THE LEFT BEFORE YOU GOT TO THE TELLER STATIONS. TO THE RIGHT AS YOU ENTERED WAS REFERRED TO AS THE INSTALLMENT LENDING AREA WHICH INCLUDE MORTGAGE LOANS
AS YOU CONTINUED FORWARD THE TELLER STATIONS STARTED, WHILE I WAS THERE THE FIRST WINDOW WAS RUTH HUBBARD,OTHERS AFTER THAT WERE DON NEWSOM, KATHERINE BANNISTER, MARTIN GUTKNECT, LUCILLE O NIELL, MRS SCUDDER AND MRS BURNS
AT THE VERY BACK RIGHT WAS ONE OF TWO DRIVE UP WINDOWS WHICH I SPENT SOME TIME WORKING IT WAS ALWAYS OPEN THE SECOND WINDOW BACK RIGHT WAS USED LESS OFTEN OR WHEN LUNCH HOUR DUE TO THE VOLUME FROM THE INDUSTRIES IN COLUMBUS.

AS THE TELLER WNDOWS MADE AN ELL SHAPE THE LAST WINDOW WAS MANNED BY MARVIN BOFFO AND WAS THE MAIN WINDOW FOR COMMERCIAL LOAN CUSTOMERS MOSTLY

THE BACK RIGHT AREA WAS THE COMMERCIAL LOAN AREA RUN BY PHIL PITKIN AND FARM MANAGEMENT HEADED BY DAN PIEPER.

FURTHER BACK THRU THE HALL WAY LEAD TO THE OLD ADJOINING BUILDING WHERE THE TRUST DEPARTMENT RESIDED.
JUST PAST THE FLAG IN THE PICTURE WAS A STAIRWAY LEADING TO THE LOWER LEVEL.
ON THE LOWER LEVEL WAS THE SAFE DEPOSIT BOX AREA, ALONG WITH THE TRAVEL DEPARTMENT AND THE INSURANCE DEPARTMENT. AT THE BACK OF THE LOWER LEVEL WAS THE DOOR TO THE BOARD ROOM AND ANOTHER DOOR TO THE EMPLOYEE'S CAFETERIA.

IN THE LATE 60S THE BANK DECIDED TO EXPAND AND REMODEL



OVER A COUPLE OF YEARS THE NEW VERSION OF THE ADJACENT BUILDIND WAS MODERNIZED AND EXPANDED TO FILL THE AREA ALL OF THE WAY TO JACKSON STREET. DURING THIS PERIOD THE ACCOUNTING AREAS FOR LOANS AND CHECKING ACCOUNTS WAS SHIFTED DOWN THE ALLEY TO THE ERICKSON BUILDING INCLUDING THE COMPUTER OPERATIONS. DURING THIS TIME THERE WERE TWO MORE DRIVE UP WINDOWS WERE ADDED TO THE AREA AS WELL.
THE PICTURE ABOVE IS THE ATRIUM THAT WAS A PART OF THE NEW BUILDING.
THERE WERE SOME EXCITING TIMES WATCHING THE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS INSTALLING ALL THE GREEN WINDOWS.

[David Sechrest]

Thanks for bringing this up Jack. I briefly read about this in today's paper. Cummins to expand into former Irwin building; First Financial to build center

Pretty soon, Cummins WILL BE downtown Columbus!

[jaynecarmichael]

I graduated from high school in 1951; I decided I wasn't ready to go to college, so worked at home for a while helping my parents raise broiler chickens, then got a job in the bookkeeping department at the old Irwin Union Bank. We used posting machines, and usually had a kind of unofficial race to see who could get through their accounts first. If we were out of balance at the end of the day, even if it was only a nickel, we had to stay until we figured out where the error occurred. Sometimes it was being unable to read the numbers a person had written on their check, or they had made a mistake themselves. I remember taking a sweater long to work in the summer, as the air-conditioning really cooled the place, and walking out into the humid summer air was always a shock. After I was there a couple of years, I left to go to college in Iowa, returning to work at the bank in the summer. Ed Lauther, who was from Iowa, was the president at that time, and he wrote me a nice letter telling me to "watch out for the tall corn boys". I did, but I married a tall guy from WI.

Some of us would go to Zaharako's for lunch, and get a gaum sandwich; this was ground beef cooked in a sauce and ladled onto a soft bun. Delicious! Perhaps we'd have a Frosty cone for dessert... the first time we'd tasted soft ice cream that was extruded from a machine into a cone. I've never since tasted any others that were as good.

One of the things I thought interesting was that several young men and women who couldn't hear, either partially or wholly, were brought in to work in bookkeeping. They used signing among themselves, but could talk to us and lip read. They were very friendly and fun.

Somewhere in the time I was there, we moved to the new bank building, which was very exciting. I remember that the Millers had a young woman from Canada staying with them, and she was working at the bank. One time she took several of us to see the Millers' home (they weren't there just then), and I was impressed by the lovely living room where everything was white, furniture and rugs and walls.

I enjoyed working at the bank, and enjoyed the people I worked with in bookkeeping, such as Janice Devening Spicer, Janet Ritzenthaler, Betty Denney, and others. Janice and Janet were a year behind me in high school, and I hadn't really known them well, so was glad to have a chance to become friends.