American National Bank Building
a.k.a. 5AL248
500 State Ave., Alamosa, COIn May 1909, the Alamosa Courier reported that the American National Bank would be erecting a modern bank building at State and Main. On June 16, 1909, the Alamosa Town Council granted permission to the bank to drill an artesian well, and on July 21 granted permission to the bank to erect a two-story brick building. By October, both Alamosa newspapers carried front-page ads explaining that during the erection of the new building the bank offices would be located in the Emperius Building. On Monday, February 7, 1910, the new bank building opened for business. The building was sold to Gilbert and Ruth Griffith in 1951. It was converted to retail space and has been operated as a flower shop since 1979.
With investors from Denver, Colorado Springs, and Grand Junction, the bank had opened for business in 1905, under the name of the Bank of San Juan, reportedly to take advantage of a time of prosperity: "The San Luis Valley lands today are the only first-class lands in this state with good water...that is partly why we decided to invest money here and open the American National Bank. Then the geographical location of this town will make it a railroad center of still greater importance, while the sheep, cattle and general agricultural interests of this section will take on unprecedented growth." (Alamosa Independent Journal, Sept. 15, 1905)
Alamosa's two weekly newspapers advertised large real estate developments in town, with one on the Rio Grande River including 400 lots. The Alamosa rail yards were switching both narrow gauge and standard gauge trains that shipped passengers, agricultural produce, and mine products in all directions. This major rail hub employed over 600 people by 1920 and provided major support for Alamosa's economy
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.