I.O.O.F. and Barker Buildings

I.O.O.F. and Barker Buildings

Company type	Commercial buildings
Industry	Banking, Legal offices
Founded	1898
Headquarters	Mount Vernon , United States
Products	Office and commercial space

Architecture

The I.O.O.F. and Barker Buildings were brick constructions trimmed with stone, both exhibiting distinctive Italianate design elements, particularly noticeable in their cornices. While the Barker Building displayed minimal stylistic diversity, the I.O.O.F. Building featured prominent rounded window arches typical of the Romanesque Revival style. These two buildings varied in size: the I.O.O.F. stood three and a half stories high with a four-story tower at the corner and spanned eight bays in width, whereas the Barker Building was two stories tall and three bays wide.

The facade of the I.O.O.F. was predominantly glass, with large windows occupying every bay except for the entrance, which was adorned with a transom light, sidelights, and glass panels. Massive Romanesque Revival arches topped each bay, occasionally forming an arcade-like appearance; windows on the lower floors ranged from narrow slits to expansive openings featuring stone lintels. The building’s front corner was crowned by a four-story tower with a stone cap, pilaster-like stone corners, and an ornamental balustrade—a decorative feature not commonly found in Romanesque architecture.

History

As Mount Vernon’s earliest fraternal organization, the lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows played a significant civic role. By the late 1890s, it had secured land near the Posey County Courthouse Square and erected a substantial commercial edifice. This building accommodated local businesses on its ground floor and offices above, while the Odd Fellows reserved only the third floor for their meetings.

Approximately eight years prior, Hiram Barker acquired an adjacent parcel but postponed development until roughly the same period as the Odd Fellows’ construction. His building mainly housed legal professionals, whereas the principal occupant of the I.O.O.F. Building was the People's Bank and Trust Company. Established in 1907 as one of three area banks, mergers eventually unified all under People's Bank.

By mid-20th century, facing spatial limitations, People's Bank purchased the Barker Building in 1967. The bank integrated both structures by removing dividing walls to form a combined main lobby. Apart from this alteration, both buildings remained mostly intact through the late 1900s.

Recent history

Following their physical integration, architectural scholars regarded the Barker and I.O.O.F. Buildings as a single banking complex. Their well-maintained historic architecture and local importance led to their joint inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

Despite this recognition, economic expansion in downtown Mount Vernon led to the demolition of both buildings during the 1990s to make way for a new bank facility on the site. In 2003, much of downtown was designated as part of the Mount Vernon Downtown Historic District on the National Register. Although the former location of these buildings lies within this district, the new construction was deemed non-contributing due to its contemporary nature. The original Barker and I.O.O.F. Buildings remained listed until they were officially removed from the National Register on December 15, 2011.