Ventura County Landmark No. 47: Fillmore State Bank

The Fillmore State Bank was the first bank in Fillmore founded by Judge Felix Ewing and John Carne. It was incorporated in 1905, before the city itself had become incorporated. The original bank building—still standing today—was located on the southeast corner of Central Avenue and Santa Clara Street and initially shared space with the local Masonic Lodge, which met on the second floor. Both organizations eventually outgrew the building and relocated to new facilities (Fillmore Historical Museum, n.d.).

In 1917, Fillmore State Bank constructed a two-story Mediterranean/Italian Renaissance brick and terra cotta building, designed by Albert C. Martin. The Second Street entrance is emphasized with classically based voussoirs (a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, used in building an arch or vault) and cable and bullet molding archivolts. Cartouches flank the sign above. The cornice line above the windows contains small medallions, and the roof is topped with Mission tile (Ventura County Cultural Heritage Board Staff, 2016).

Initially, the building housed both the Fillmore State Bank and the town library. The Fillmore State Bank remained at this location until 1927, when it was purchased by the Bank of Italy. Over the following decades, the building housed Bank of America and then the Bank of A. Levy. After being occupied by First Interstate Bank and then Wells Fargo, banking services eventually relocated to a new facility constructed on Sespe Avenue (Fillmore Historical Museum, n.d.).

The Bank of Fillmore Building was awarded Historical Landmark No. 47 in 1979, and in 1985 the building had its exterior plaque—previously reading “Bank of A. Levy”—replaced with signage restoring its original historic name, “Fillmore State Bank” (Background Documents for Ventura County Historical Landmark No. 47, 1979).