Howell Mortgage Bank

Howell Mortgage Bank originally opened in 1907 and shut down in 1932 due to the depression. It was demolished in 2018 after sitting vacant for 10 years after its purchase by an out-of-state LLC. Before being razed it was located at 3000 Broadway Avenue, right at the end of Cumberland Street. It is currently an empty lot still in the Howell district of Evansville.

What was known as Howell Mortgage bank opened in 1907; however, it has also been named the Howell State Bank and the Farmers & Citizens bank. This bank was open until 1932 when the depression forced it to close. According to the Evansville courier and press, this building held several different financial institutions through the 1990s including the actual Howell Mortgage bank, but then later became a nail salon, and a duplex apartment before it was eventually sold.

The building was purchased in 2010 by a Florida LLC, “The listed owner is 3000 Broadway LLC, with a tax billing address in Cape Coral, Florida, and a management address in Lake Bluff, Illinois. The 3000 Broadway LLC was listed inactive in the state of Florida five years ago."^[1] The company didn't look at the building before purchasing and didn't realize the condition it was in; therefore, they left the building to decompose and stopped paying taxes on it.^[2] It was put up for sale on the county's tax auction and was not bought by anyone nor sold. Therefore, the buildings fate was up to the Evansville Vanderburgh Building Commission who ultimately decided to demolish the building in 2017.

As seen in a video that I have provided in the links of this entry, the inside of the building was crumbling as well as the outside. Barely any part of the ceiling was intact and much of the supports holding the building up were rotted. Eventually in May 2018, the building was completely demolished, and it cost $27,697 in taxes to raze. The property now sits empty surrounded by the old post office and a few abandoned homes.

Farmers & Citizens Bank, Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library : Digital Archive. Accessed October 23rd, 2023. https://digital.evpl.org/digital/collection/p16848coll1/id/1166.

Howell Mortgage Bank, Historic Evansville. Accessed October 23rd, 2023. https://historicevansville.com/site.php?id=howellbank.

^[1] Stubbs, Noah. Demolition begins for Evansville's West Side Howell Mortgage Bank, Courier & Press. May 17th, 2018. Accessed October 23rd, 2023. https://www.courierpress.com/story/news/2018/05/17/demolition-begins-howell-mortgage-bank/620936002/.

^[2] Evans, Zach. Who Own's That?: Old Howell bank demolition moving ahead, Courier & Press. November 21st, 2017. Accessed October 23rd, 2023. https://www.courierpress.com/story/news/local/2017/11/21/who-owns-that-old-howell-bank-demolition-moving-ahead/881410001/.