website watertownhistory.org
ebook History of Watertown, Wisconsin
Valley Bank
Lebanon State Bank
104 W Main
Click to enlarge c.1985
1985
05 11 Valley Bank of
Watertown will construct a new banking facility on its West Main Street
property this summer, according to an announcement today by David M. Hanson,
president. The bank last year acquired
the Kusel Hardware Store
property which is located immediately to the west of the present bank
building and the new facility will be located on the Kusel
property. When completed, the bank will
be to the west of a park-like area on which the current bank is located. Frank and Sue Witt, owners of the Kusel business, announced earlier this year that they would
be closing the business late this month.
WDT
10 07 The way
has been cleared for the Valley Bank of Watertown to construct a new building
in Watertown. The bank has received
official notification from the Comptroller of Currency, central district
office, located in Chicago, that the bank's plans are not in violation of
banking regulations. With that issue
resolved, David M. Hanson, president of the bank, said the $1 million project
should get under way in the near future.
Hanson said, “Within the next week demolition of the Kusel
building should get under way. That work
is expected to take about six weeks.” WDT
10 30 The
back of the Kusel Building on West Main Street is
shrinking by the day. There is no
interior, unless you count the floorboard and some scattered piping. Even most of the large windows have been
taken away. Work is continuing on the
demolition of the former Kusel Hardware Store, 108
West Main Street. The razing is being
performed by Bob Coughlin Contractors for Valley Bank, which plans to expand
its operations at 104 West Main Street.
Once the demolition is completed, a new Valley Bank will be built in its
place. Then the current bank building
will be razed for some further expansion work and the creation of a park-like
area bordering the riverfront. WDT
1986
05 09 Construction of the new Valley Bank of Watertown will begin by May
19, according to David M. Hanson, president.
Valley announced plans for the new facility in May of 1986, a year after
it had purchased the Kusel Hardware Store building
which was located immediately west of the existing structure. The Kusel building
was razed last year, and plans for the bank were prepared. Bentz Wolfgram, Inc., of Sun Prairie will be the general
contractor for the project which will exceed $1 million. Preparatory work is expected to get under way
next week and actual construction will begin on the week of the 19th. WDT
1989
01 18 Karl Fischer, 101 Herman St., has resigned as a director of Valley
Bank of Watertown after serving on the board for the past 25 years. He had been a director since 1964. At annual meetings of the bank held on
Wednesday, all other directors were renamed as well as officers. Directors are David M. Hanson, Atty. Robert
Bender, James M. Clifford, Dr. William Ehlinger,
Allen Frater, Paul Klink, Jerry Mountin and Louis Nehls. No successor
was named to replace Fischer. WDT
1991
01 20 Thomas W. Lees was elected to the board of directors of Valley
Bank of Watertown at the annual stockholders meeting of the bank. He was promoted from vice president to senior
vice president at the annual organizational meeting. Karen Melcher was promoted
from loan officer to vice president/loans at the reorganizational meeting. Lees joined the bank in 1968 and has served as
vice president for the past 10 years. A
native of Watertown, he graduated from Watertown High School in 1962 and
attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He served in the U.S. Army and is a Vietnam
veteran. He graduated from the Graduate
School of Banking at UW-Madison and completed the Wisconsin Bankers Association
Lending School course. WDT
1997
07 21 Lebanon
State Bank of Lebanon will open a branch office in the former Valley Bank
building in Watertown by the end of the year, according to M. A. Siegrist, president and chief executive officer of Lebanon
State Bank. Community Investment Bancorporation Inc., holding company for
Lebanon State Bank, expects to receive approval from the state of Wisconsin
Department of Financial Institutions within the next 60 days. Siegrist said the
holding company will buy the former Valley Bank building at 104 W. Main St.
from M&I South Central following approval from the state, and plans to open
the local office by Dec. 1.
11 05 Lebanon
State Bank will close the purchase of the former Valley Bank building in
Watertown on Tuesday, according to M. A. Siegrist,
president. That closing will pave the way
for the bank to open its Watertown office late this year, or possibly early in
1998.
The bank is purchasing the
building from M&I Corp. M&I
acquired the bank as part of its purchase of Valley Bancorporation several
years ago. The office was then closed
and all M&I operations were consolidated at the 205 S. Second St. location.
Cross Reference:
Location of former Wiggenhorn Cigar Manufactory
History of Watertown,
Wisconsin