07. The Business District

The business district continued to grow, and by 1920 had expanded from San Marcos Place to Boston Street.  The building on the far right housed the offices of Dr. Gilbert, Chandler’s first physician, and Dr. Barackman, the first dentist.  From right to left, the buildings were occupied by a dry goods store called the Leader, the First National Bank, Reliable Hardware, and the Arrow Pharmacy on the corner.

The First National Bank opened in 1920 on Boston Street.  This was the second bank built in town.  The interior of the bank featured marble counters and tiled floors, and the exterior boasted faux marble columns.  While the bank was capitalized at $50,000, business could not support two separate banks.  The Bank of Chandler took over the First National Bank in 1925.  Ultimately, this bank closed during the Great Depression.

In the 1930s after the bank closed, the Chandler Improvement Company moved its headquarters into the Bank of Chandler building.  The company entered receivership in 1936 after Dr. Chandler had mortgaged it in an attempt to finance other projects during the Great Depression.  Dr. Chandler retired to a bungalow on the grounds of the San Marcos and could only watch as the company was liquidated in the early 1940s.