September Golden Hammer Award recipients restore 19th century facade of downtown building

<p>The Exchange Bank at 204 E. High St. is pictured about 1920 with its signature clock that is now situated in front of what is now known as Hawthorn Bank on the 100 block of High Street. Photo from the Summers Collection in the Missouri State Archives provided by the Historic City of Jefferson.</p>

The Exchange Bank at 204 E. High St. is pictured about 1920 with its signature clock that is now situated in front of what is now known as Hawthorn Bank on the 100 block of High Street. Photo from the Summers Collection in the Missouri State Archives provided by the Historic City of Jefferson.

When Jay and Debbie Seaver purchased the property at 204 E. High St., they began a lengthy process of restoring the exterior to reflect its origins as Exchange Bank.

The Seavers have been awarded the September Golden Hammer Award for their work on the building that sits in the heart of Jefferson City. It's the final Golden Hammer Award for 2019.

The Golden Hammer Award recognizes individuals in Jefferson City who are restoring historic structures at least 50 years old, preserving them for years to come and showing the pride the community has for its past.

The Seavers purchased the property in October 2013. At that time, many in Jefferson City probably didn't have any idea what lied beneath the bluish-gray facade.

According to records provided by the Historic City of Jefferson, the structure at 204 E. High was originally the home of the Exchange Bank, which was likely built when Phillip Chappell owned the property between 1873-82. Records show Chappell, the fifth person to own the lot since 1825 and president of the National Exchange Bank, purchased it for $2,500, but sold it to Exchange Bank for $7,000, meaning either he built the building, inflation was high at the time or he simply overcharged the bank. If the building was built by the bank itself, it likely was built around 1882.

The iconic clock that now stands in front of Hawthorn Bank in the 100 block of East High Street was erected in 1917 in front of the 204 E. High location. Exchange Bank, now known as Hawthorn Bank and the oldest bank in Cole County, moved to its current location after it took ownership of First National Bank, which was housed at 132 E. High St., during the Great Depression because of a question of the First National Bank's solvency. After taking ownership of First National Bank, Exchange Bank moved into its much larger facility one block over.

But the bank held onto its old location until 1949, simply renting it out. Offices upstairs were already rented prior to the move, and renters included attorneys, physicians and insurance agents. After 1933, a series of women's clothing stores were housed in the former bank building.

The building was sold in the fall of 1949 to Arnold and Elizabeth Schnider and Hugo Bernel and Mae Floreine Ochsner, who continued to rent out the building until it was sold in 1982 to Virginia Riner. During that time, it housed beauty shops, the Cole County Farm Bureau, the United Community Fund of Jefferson City and even some county offices.

After purchasing the property in October 2013, the Seavers got to work on removing the newer facade that had been built over the stone front that still bears the inscription of Exchange Bank, essentially restoring it to how it looked over a century ago.

Jay Seaver said they tried to expose as much of the original bank front as possible during the renovation.

"The front of it was the most horrendous looking thing," Jay Seaver said. "They had covered up everything. We just tore off the entire front of the building."

Before purchasing the downtown property, the Seavers had lived in the same house in Jefferson City for 27 years. Jay Seaver said the couple had gotten to a point where it was time to remodel the house, but they instead opted to sell and find something different.

"Somehow this became the something different," Jay Seaver said, motioning toward the building with a laugh. "How that happened, we're not sure."

The renovation began in November 2013 and took the bulk of the next year and a half before the Seavers moved in to the upstairs apartment in March 2015. They completely gutted the building, having to tackle issues that developed in the years the property was vacant. Debbie Seaver said she was surprised to learn the entire building was concrete, showing how forward-thinking those involved in the buildings initial construction were.

"It was beautiful once you got down to the bones of the building," Debbie Seaver said.

The bank's original vault is still in the basement with its original door, she said. They currently use the area for storage.

"It is pretty cool," she said.

Jay Seaver said the concrete bones helped make the renovation a bit easier, as they didn't have deal with or tear down support walls within the building to create the "open canvas" they wanted in order to design exactly the type of space they were looking for.

Debbie Seaver noted that during the renovation, after tearing out the walls upstairs, they found transom windows in the walls above most of the doors that were original to the building.

"We used them in our design to allow light into the middle room of the apartment," she said.

The Seavers also set up an outdoor space on the property's roof, allowing for a patio-like atmosphere for when the weather is nice. At one point during the renovation, the Seavers were responsible for temporarily closing down High Street as a crane put in a spiral staircase that goes to the roof.

Now living in downtown for the first time, the couple said they're pleased that there's no grass to mow and very little upkeep needed, in terms of outside chores.

Living on High Street gives them front row seats for many Jefferson City events without leaving their home, including parades through downtown and Thursday Night Live performances, where the stage is set up nearly in front of their building.

"It's very interesting," Jay Seaver said, noting while it can definitely get noisy, it can also be incredibly quiet at times. "You can be at all the events without (leaving the house)."

In addition to the Seavers living in the upstairs apartment, the main floor now houses Bar Vino.

The Seavers lease the space to the bar owners, who they said have done a wonderful job with the space.