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11/18/2009 3:34 AM

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By Scott Beveridge, Staff writer, sbeveridge@observer-reporter.com

This article has been read 441 times.

AVELLA - As layer after layer of debris is removed from the abandoned Lincoln National Bank, rich architectural details that once made it an Avella showpiece are being revealed.

There is a priceless beige marble-tiled floor that will be saved inside the 86-year-old brick landmark. Also salvaged after decades of neglect are sections of the white marble counters and walls and rich wood paneling in the offices.

"There was a mess when we started," said Tom Jennings, a member of Avella Area Community Association Inc. that purchased the building nearly two years ago.

"It's interesting to see how this building has stood the test of time," Jennings said Monday.

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The second floor, which was added after the bank folded during the Great Depression, had collapsed by the time the association began the restoration project. Vandals had broken nearly all the windows and spray painted obscene graffiti across the walls.

The ornate building with two massive columns at the front door once stood as a symbol of Avella's prosperity when coal and the railroad were king.

Now, residents in the small town are keeping watch over the building at 1575 Avella Road because $120,000 in grants have been secured to make progress on returning the building to its former glory, Jennings said.

"A lot of people are looking at this corner other than as a blighted, vandalized building," he said. "Now they're looking at things happening."

The association raised about $70,000 in donations by sponsoring bull rides and also accepting such in-kind donations as labor and electricity, he said. Another $50,000 came from Washington County's local share of slots money drawn from the take at The Meadows Racetrack & Casino, to begin replacing the building's windows.

Jennings said the association is applying for another $300,000 in slots money to replace the roof, restore the interior and purchase storm windows.

The association eventually wants to turn the bank, which hasn't been occupied since the 1960s, into offices, possibly for an attorney.

"You take this building out of here and Avella is just another town victim to the economy," Jennings said. "We see hope."

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