National State Bank

A bank building has stood at the corner of Market and Second Streets for centuries. The "State Bank at Camden" first opened for business on the corner of Market and Second on June 16, 1812. The bank was located then in the same location as now (the northwest corner of Market and 2nd St., then called "Queen St.") in the former Peter Farrow house. Capital stock was originally $800,000 and the Cooper family was involved in the bank's creation. In the early years of the bank, a shed building to the rear of the bank building held the town's first fire engine, the "Perseverance;" the engine was built by a Philadelphian, Pat Lyon, and was purchased secondhand in 1810. The city kept that engine in service for nearly forty years.

New federal laws in 1865 allowed for the bank to become a national bank, with the name "National State Bank, at Camden." The predecessor to the current building at the site was another bank building constructed around 1875. In 1890, the bank was one of five major banks in the city. Its Cashier, Wilbur F. Rose, also served as Treasurer of the Camden City Board of Trade in the 1890s. Heulings Lippincott was the bank's president in 1915. F. Morse Archer rose from Vice President to President in 1918; Archer's great-grandfather, James Sloan, had been the bank's second president. The bank's Cashier in 1915 was A.D. Ambruster; Assistant Cashier was Stanley C. Kimble. The bank merged with First National Bank of Camden in 1922; another merger in 1927 resulted in formation of First Camden National Bank & Trust Company.

The architects of the 1913 building were Paul Armon Davis III and his older brother, Seymour. Paul studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris in the 1890s; Seymour trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. The brothers' partnership of Davis & Davis only lasted a brief time, from 1910 to 1914. Contractors were Stacy Reed and Sons. The three-bay wide main facade faces Market Street and features a central entrance. Besides the main block, there is a rear wing with an exterior matching the main block. The gleaming white granite is absent from the rear facade of the wing, which is painted brick.

The building was still being used as a bank when it was documented for the National Register in 1988, as Midlantic National Bank. The 1913-era bank vault, marble wainscoting, and other interior features were intact. The central portion of the bank interior space, which originally held the tellers' area, had been changed and a dropped ceiling had been installed. The original door surround of bracketed entablature and plain pilasters was intact, with a replacement glass door. A rusticated flat arch with scrolled keystone topped a large window on both sides of the entrance. While the 1913 windows had been replaced, the window pattern was unchanged.

City Invincible Architecture, Interiors and Urban Design, the architectural firm formed in 2016 that renovated and occupies the former bank building, was acquired by Spiezle Architectural Ggroup, Inc. in late 2019. Their new name is "City Invincible, a Spiezle Company." With the acquisition, Spiezle grew to 95 team members in its employee-owned architectural firm.

Commercial Publishing Co. Historical and industrial review of Camden, New Jersey. Commercial Pub. Co., New York, New York. 1890.

Ellet, Charles, Jr. Map of Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. 1843. Digitized and georectified by Greater Philadelphia GeoHistory Network.

Sanborn Map Company. Insurance Maps of City of Camden, Camden County, New Jersey. Sanborn Map Company. New York, New York. 1906.

Sinnickson Chew & Sons Company. Camden, New Jersey, Lead in Industry. West Jersey Press. Camden, NJ. 1915.

Spiezle Architectural Group, Inc.. Spiezle Architectural group, Inc. Acquires City Invincible Architecture Based in Camden, N.J.. The Philadelphia Architect, TPA News. November 18th 2019.

Thompson, Priscilla M . Thompson, Franklyn M. NRHP Nomination of National State Bank Building, Camden, N.J.. National Register. Washington, DC. National Park Service, 1988.