THE VALLEY OF HEART's DELIGHT
THE GROWERS BANK
Surnames: JOHNSON, SINGLETARY, MARTIN, SINCLAIR, KITTREDGE, BUJAN, SWAIN
The city of San Jose is liberally endowed with institutions
calculated to advance materially the financial welfare of its
inhabitants, and the most recent acquisition to financial circles is the
Growers Bank, which held a public reception on the occasion of its
opening April 30, 1921, in the handsomely-remodeled and spacious
five-story building located at the northwest corner of Santa Clara and
Market streets, known as the Growers Bank building. The bank was
organized with a capital and surplus of $330,000 and the personnel of
its officers presage success in their undertaking. The exterior is of
the attractive Napoleon gray marble, which gives promise of what the
interior will be. On entering one sees gray marble floors and
highly-polished marble walls blended harmoniously with the woodwork,
quarter-sawed oak finished in silver gray and trimmed in bronze. That
the institution comes into being with the best wishes of bankers of all
parts of the state, was indicated from the many outside bankers who paid
their respects to the new institution on opening day. Not only were
words of greeting received from all the local banks, but twenty-two
representatives from banks in other parts of the state, including the
Citizens National and the Merchants National of Los Angeles, were also
guests of the Growers Bank, and all wished it every success during the
long life which is predicted for it. On the right as one enters the
door, is the patrons' waiting room, next the offices of the bank's
officials, and farther on the commercial department, all equipped in the
most artistic and up-to-date fashion. All office furniture is of steel,
the best procurable, and a unique combination of beauty and utility.
At the end of the lobby is the savings department, while back of
this department are the bank's two main vaults, one the money vault, and
the other the safety deposit vault. They are protected by massive steel
doors, each five and one-half tons in weight, equipped with time locks,
and so delicately protected that the slightest touch on the combination
dial once the door is closed, will set off three burglar alarms.
Adjoining the safety vault are four coupon rooms for the convenience
of the bank's patrons. In the rear, and to the left, is located the
directors' room, finished in mahogany, with a twenty-foot table,
constructed of three solid pieces of mahogany, two and one-half inches
in thickness. To the right of the lobby are the foreign and domestic
exchange departments, and the receiving and paying departments, in the
equipping of which no expense has been spared. At the rear end to the
right of the building is the stairway which leads to the ladies' rest
room on the second floor. This is attractively furnished, and serves
both as a reading and rest room. Outside a McClintock clock has been
installed at a cost of $1,700 with Westminster chimes sounding the hour
and the half hour, which is a delight and convenience to the general public.
Officials of the institution, who were the recipients of many
congratulatory messages, are: S. E. Johnson, president; G. C.
Singletary, vice-president; Sam Martin, vice-president; Fred W.
Sinclair, cashier and manager; H. S. Kittredge, secretary-treasurer; J.
I. Bujan, assistant cashier, and C. A. Swain, assistant cashier. Over
1,000 new accounts were added to their clientele on opening day, which
gives them something like 4,000 accounts.