June 5, 2012
A Stone Bank Inspiration
As a champion of all things stone, the Stone Bank blog has to tip its hat to a successful restoration project in Granville, N.D.
Granville is a small town about 20 miles from Minot in north-central North Dakota. This grand old stone bank building, completed in 1903, has been recently and lovingly restored. Beyond the restoration, an addition has increased the size and flexibility of the space.
Adaptive re-use, anyone?
The Granville building is among dozens of great old bank buildings that dot the ND landscape — including our own Stone Bank. And the Granville project demonstrates how durable and adaptable these great old buildings are. The Granville bank has something else in common with the Stone Bank — it became insolvent in 1923.
Here’s a link to a story in the Minot Daily News that describes  the Granville Bank restoration and how the building is now being reused.
From the Stone Bank crew — BRAVO!
What do you think of this success story? Leave us a comment, because we love hearing from you.
And remember, our project is chugging along, but we need to raise matching funds for the $20,000 grant we recently received from the Historical Society of North Dakota. It’s easy to send us a donation. Think of Granville’s success and click the PayPal link in the right-hand column. We need your support right now! And as always, thanks for reading the Stone Bank Blog!
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Mark J said,
June 7, 2012 at 10:00 am
Congrats to Granville for a significant project. Although it could be a case study for an insensitive addition to a historic building.
Ardith Stevens said,
August 31, 2013 at 7:24 pm
Thank you for all the great things that you have to say about our bank building in Granville. It was truly one of the thrills of my life to be able to restore this grand old building. Without Lyle Krueger of Souris Valley Construction, this could not have been done..We are still adding amenities such as a carport on the rear and completing the landscaping. Thanks again. Ardith Stevens,
stonebankblog said,
September 2, 2013 at 12:23 pm
Thanks for your comment. Everyone told us to “go see the Granville bank.” It’s wonderful to see what can happen when a dedicated group of people decide to preserve a piece of history. We hope that someday people will say: “Go see the Stone Bank.”
Diane Williams said,
September 2, 2013 at 11:35 am
The Granville bank is now called the UNI Building–my mom and dad’s cattle brand. Mama (at the time 84-years old) went to work with the crew every day and climbed up on ladders and scaffolding to strip and sand old woodwork. She and her buddy Sharon billed themselves as “strippers.” This bank restoration has been wonderful for the town of Granville. Her sister-in-law Lucille helped by recovering furniture Mama stripped to furnish the guest house.
Diane Stevens Williams
stonebankblog said,
September 2, 2013 at 12:28 pm
Thanks for your comment. What a wonderful memory of your mom. We could sure use some volunteer “strippers” to help work on the Stone Bank’s windows. If you ever want to post some pictures and a guest blog on this site, let us know! We love talking about saving great buildings.